Within five days of the date of his or her receipt of the certificate of adoption the judge of probate with whom the certificate was filed shall call an election to be held on the first Tuesday in September, 1954. The expenses of this election shall be paid by the city. Before calling such election the judge of probate shall cause the city to be divided into five wards containing as nearly equal number of people as possible. Candidates shall qualify in the manner prescribed in Section 45-8A-23.051 and shall have the qualifications and eligibility set forth in Sections 45-8A-23.052 and 45-8A-23.053. Each candidate shall announce the ward from which he or she desires to become a candidate. Each voter in the election may cast one vote for a candidate from each of the wards. Any candidate receiving a majority of the total votes cast for the candidates from the ward from which he or she is a candidate shall be elected as the councilman from his or her ward. In the event that any or all of the wards shall not have a candidate who received such a majority in the election then as to such ward or wards there shall be a runoff election to be held two weeks after the first election. In the runoff election only those two candidates from each ward who receive the largest vote in the first election shall be eligible in the runoff election, and only these two shall have their names placed on the ballot for the runoff election. Any candidate receiving a majority of the total votes cast in the runoff election for the candidates from the ward from which he or she is a candidate shall be elected as councilman from his or her ward. The councilman so elected shall take office on the first Monday in October following the election. Each councilman shall hold office for four years, except those elected in 1973, but shall serve until his or her successor shall have qualified. A councilman may succeed himself or herself in office.