How a Liberal leadership spill works

JULIE Bishop and Scott Morrison are fighting for the same votes — but a party room rule ensures the rift won’t matter.

A LIBERAL party room meeting to decide the leadership is underway.

This is how it will go down.

Malcolm Turnbull called the special party room meeting for 12.20pm today after receiving a petition of 43 signatures.

A spill motion was carried by 45 votes to 40 and Mr Turnbull has resigned as prime minister. He previously indicated he would declare the leadership vacant and step aside.

Once a vote is called, those who wish to put their hand up to be leader generally get a chance to make a speech, but candidates reportedly won’t be able to do this at today’s meeting.

Politicians will be asked to vote for all the challengers and if one of them does not get more than 50 per cent of the vote, the ones with the lowest votes will be knocked out until there is just two people left.

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Then a final round of voting will take place between the two remaining candidates. The winner needs to get 43 votes, which is a majority of the members plus one vote.

The vote is done by a secret ballot so theoretically people won’t know how others voted.

If the position of deputy leader is also declared vacant, voting on this will also happen.

Once the result is known, it will be announced to media after the meeting.

Mr Turnbull would then have to advise the Governor-General that he no longer has support of the party before the newly-elected leader is sworn in.

Malcolm Turnbull (left) being sworn in as prime minister by Australia's Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove in 2015 after winning a leadership spill against Tony Abbott. Picture: Lukas Coch/AAP NO ARCHIVING