The 1999 Liberal Democrats

Liberal Democrats

The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...

 leadership election was called following the resignation of Paddy Ashdown

Paddy Ashdown

Jeremy John Durham Ashdown, Baron Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon, GCMG, KBE, PC , usually known as Paddy Ashdown, is a British politician and diplomat....

 as leader. There were five candidates and all members of the party were balloted using the Alternative Vote

Instant-runoff voting

Instant-runoff voting , also known as preferential voting, the alternative vote and ranked choice voting, is a voting system used to elect one winner. Voters rank candidates in order of preference, and their ballots are counted as one vote for their first choice candidate. If a candidate secures a...

 preference system. The election was won by Charles Kennedy

Charles Kennedy

Charles Peter Kennedy is a British Liberal Democrat politician, who led the Liberal Democrats from 9 August 1999 until 7 January 2006 and is currently a Member of Parliament for the Ross, Skye and Lochaber constituency....

, 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

Labour Party (UK)

The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...

, which had seen Ashdown and other senior Liberal Democrats appointed to a joint Cabinet

Cabinet (government)

A Cabinet is a body of high ranking government officials, typically representing the executive branch. It can also sometimes be referred to as the Council of Ministers, an Executive Council, or an Executive Committee.- Overview :...

 committee on electoral reform. Most of the candidates were to various degrees sceptical about this approach, with Simon Hughes

Simon Hughes

Simon Henry Ward Hughes is a British politician and Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats. He is Member of Parliament for the constituency of Bermondsey and Old Southwark. Until 2008 he was President of the Liberal Democrats...

 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.

Results

First round
Candidate		Change	Votes	%
	Charles Kennedy Charles Kennedy Charles Peter Kennedy is a British Liberal Democrat politician, who led the Liberal Democrats from 9 August 1999 until 7 January 2006 and is currently a Member of Parliament for the Ross, Skye and Lochaber constituency....	-	22,724	44.6
	Simon Hughes Simon Hughes Simon Henry Ward Hughes is a British politician and Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats. He is Member of Parliament for the constituency of Bermondsey and Old Southwark. Until 2008 he was President of the Liberal Democrats...	-	16,233	31.8
	Malcolm Bruce Malcolm Bruce Malcolm Gray Bruce, MP is a Scottish Liberal Democrat politician. He is the Member of Parliament for Gordon. He has been the chairman of the International Development Select Committee since 2005.-Early life:...	-	4,643	9.1
	Jackie Ballard Jackie Ballard Jacqueline Margaret Ballard has been a politician and journalist in the United Kingdom. She was the Director General of the RSPCA, and took up post as CEO of the RNID on 22 October 2007....	-	3,978	7.8
	David Rendel David Rendel David Digby Rendel is a British Liberal Democrat politician. He was the Member of Parliament for Newbury from 1993 to 2005. He won the seat at by-election in May 1993 caused by the death of Judith Chaplin, and held it his defeat at the 2005 general election to Conservative candidate Richard...	-	3,428	6.7
Turnout			51,006	62%

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	-

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	-

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	-

External links

• Kennedy wins Lib Dem leadership (BBC
  BBC
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  News 'On this day')