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1999 Liberal Democrats leadership election

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1999 Liberal Democrats leadership election
← 1988 9 August 1999 2006 →
 
Candidate Charles Kennedy Simon Hughes Malcolm Bruce
First pref. 22,724 (44.6%) 16,233 (31.8%) 4,643 (9.1%)
Final pref. 28,425 (56.6%) 21,833 (43.4%) Eliminated
 
Candidate Jackie Ballard David Rendel
First pref. 3,978 (7.8%) 3,428 (6.7%)
Final pref. Eliminated Eliminated

Leader before election

Paddy Ashdown

Elected Leader

Charles Kennedy

The 1999 Liberal Democrats leadership election was called following the resignation of Paddy Ashdown as Leader of the Liberal Democrats. There were five candidates and all members of the party were balloted using the Alternative Vote preference system. The election was won by Charles Kennedy, who served as leader until his resignation in 2006.

The chief issue in the election was whether the party should continue its partial collaboration with the Labour Party, which had seen Ashdown and other senior Liberal Democrats appointed to a joint Cabinet committee on electoral reform. Most of the candidates were to various degrees sceptical about this approach, with Simon Hughes the most hostile and Charles Kennedy the strongest defender of Ashdown. The campaign was almost entirely free of bitterness and outspoken comments. Kennedy was generally favoured by the press because of his name recognition, which derived from his frequent appearances on light-hearted panel games on television.

Candidates

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Supporters included:

Supporters included:

Supporters included:

Supporters included:

Supporters included:

Withdrew from the contest

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The following Liberal Democrat politicians initially stood but subsequently withdrew from the election:

Supporters included:

Results

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First round
Candidate Change Votes %
Charles Kennedy 22,724 44.6
Simon Hughes 16,233 31.8
Malcolm Bruce 4,643 9.1
Jackie Ballard 3,978 7.8
David Rendel 3,428 6.7
Turnout 51,006 62
Rendel eliminated, second count required

As a result of the first round, Rendel was eliminated. Those of his votes that includes further preferences were redistributed (transferred) to the remaining four candidates.

Second round
Candidate Change Votes %
Charles Kennedy +895 23,619 46.5
Simon Hughes +1,145 17,378 34.2
Malcolm Bruce +598 5,241 10.3
Jackie Ballard +627 4,605 9.1
David Rendel −3,428
Not transferable +163 163
Ballard eliminated, third count required

As a result of the second round, Ballard was eliminated. Those of her votes that includes further preferences were redistributed to the remaining three candidates.

Third round
Candidate Change Votes %
Charles Kennedy +1,545 25,164 49.7
Simon Hughes +1,982 19,360 38.3
Malcolm Bruce +827 6,068 12.0
Jackie Ballard −4,605
Not transferable +251 414
Bruce eliminated, fourth count required

As a result of the third round, Bruce was eliminated. Those of his votes that includes further preferences were redistributed to the remaining two candidates.

Final round
Candidate Change Votes %
Charles Kennedy +3,261 28,425 56.6
Simon Hughes +2,473 21,833 43.4
Malcolm Bruce −6,068
Not transferable +334 748
Charles Kennedy elected

References

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  1. ^ Hurst, Greg (2006). Chales Kennedy: A Tragic Flaw (First ed.). Politicos. p. 104. ISBN 1-84275-176-X.
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