2006 Progressive Democrats leadership election

Last updated

The Progressive Democrats leadership election, 2006 began on 7 September 2006 when Mary Harney resigned as leader of the Progressive Democrats. In spite of speculation earlier in the year surrounding her position as leader, Harney's announcement surprised many. She had been leader of the party since 1993.

Contents

Election procedure

According to the party's constitution, if there is just one candidate for the leadership of the Progressive Democrats, this person will be elected leader by acclamation. If several candidates put their names forward, an electoral college will determine the next leader. Each college member will have one vote, but these votes will be weighed according to which group they belong to. TDs, Senators and MEPs will form the first group which represent 40% of the votes. Councillors, national executive members and trustees of the party will form the second group which represent 30% of the votes. The third group contains party members for more than one year prior to the date of the leadership election. This group represent 30% of the votes.

Candidates

Nominations for the leadership closed on midday Monday, 11 September 2006.

Michael McDowell was nominated for the position of Party Leader by Tom Parlon and that nomination is to be seconded by Liz O'Donnell. [1]

Result

Despite speculation of differences, Michael McDowell was elected unopposed, and remained in office until he resigned on losing his seat in the 2007 general election.

Timeline of events

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australian Democrats</span> Political party in Australia

The Australian Democrats is a centrist political party in Australia. Founded in 1977 from a merger of the Australia Party and the New Liberal Movement, both of which were descended from Liberal Party dissenting splinter groups, it was Australia's largest minor party from its formation in 1977 through to 2004 and frequently held the balance of power in the Senate during that time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Progressive Democrats</span> Irish political party (1985–2009)

The Progressive Democrats, commonly referred to as the PDs, was a conservative liberal political party in Ireland. The party's history spanned 24 years, from its formation in 1985 to its dissolution in 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1990 Irish presidential election</span>

The 1990 Irish presidential election was the tenth presidential election to be held in Ireland, the fifth to be contested by more than one candidate, and the first to have a female candidate and winner. It was held on Wednesday, 7 November 1990 and was won by Mary Robinson on a joint Labour Party and Workers' Party ticket. The election was the first time in history a Fianna Fáil candidate failed to win the presidency. It was also the first time the Labour Party had contested a presidential election. The election had one of the tightest margins of victory in Irish presidential elections history, and the final leg of the campaign was characterised by intense internal turmoil within the Fianna Fáil party as well as personal attacks on the candidates from competing political parties. The election was considered a political failure for the Fine Gael party and would cause their leader, Alan Dukes, to resign in the immediate aftermath.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1997 Irish presidential election</span>

The 1997 Irish presidential election was held on Thursday, 30 October 1997. It was the eleventh presidential election to be held in Ireland, and only the sixth to be contested by more than one candidate. It was held ahead of schedule when incumbent Mary Robinson resigned to assume her new appointment as the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

The 2004 Irish presidential election was scheduled for Friday, 22 October 2004. However, nominations closed at noon on 1 October and the incumbent president, Mary McAleese, who had nominated herself in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution, was the only candidate nominated. Accordingly, she was re-elected for a second seven-year term of office without the need to hold an election. This was the third time a president was returned unopposed, following Seán T. O'Kelly in 1952, and Patrick Hillery in 1983. McAleese was inaugurated for her second term on Thursday, 11 November 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Desmond O'Malley</span> Irish politician (1939–2021)

Desmond Joseph O'Malley was an Irish politician who served as Minister for Industry and Commerce from 1977 to 1981 and 1989 to 1992, Leader of the Progressive Democrats from 1985 to 1993, Minister for Trade, Commerce and Tourism from March 1982 to October 1982, Minister for Justice from 1970 to 1973 and Government Chief Whip and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Defence from 1969 to 1970. He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Limerick East constituency from 1968 to 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Harney</span> Irish politician, 18th Tánaiste (deputy Prime Minister)

Mary Harney is an Irish former politician and the former Chancellor of the University of Limerick.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael McDowell (politician)</span> Irish politician (born 1951)

Michael McDowell is an Irish independent politician and barrister who serves in Seanad Éireann as a senator for the National University. He formerly served as Attorney General of Ireland, as Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, as Tánaiste, and as leader of the Progressive Democrats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1997 Irish general election</span> Election to the 28th Dáil

The 1997 Irish general election to the 28th Dáil was held on Friday, 6 June, following the dissolution of the 27th Dáil on 15 May by President Mary Robinson, on the request of Taoiseach John Bruton. The general election took place in 41 Dáil constituencies throughout Ireland for 166 seats in Dáil Éireann, the house of representatives of the Oireachtas, under a revision in the Electoral (Amendment) Act 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newfoundland and Labrador New Democratic Party</span> Political party in Canada

The Newfoundland and Labrador New Democratic Party is a social democratic political party in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It is a provincial section of the federal New Democratic Party. It was formed in 1961 as the successor to the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) and the Newfoundland Democratic Party. The party first contested the 1962 provincial election. The party won its first seat in the House of Assembly in 1984 and has been represented in the legislature since 1990.

The Young Progressive Democrats were the youth wing of the Irish political party, the Progressive Democrats. Weakened after the party's poor showing in the 1997 elections, they were completely reformed on a national basis after the 2002 general election. A special conference of the Young Progressive Democrats (YPD) was held in party headquarters on 18 October 2008. This was in response to the announcement of the Parliamentary Party interest in winding up the Progressive Democrats Party. At this special conference the Young Progressive Democrats agreed to formally dissolve the Young Progressive Democrats following the same timetable as the Progressive Democrats for dissolving. A November 2008 special congress of the Progressive Democrats resolved that the party should come to an end; it was officially dissolved on 20 November 2009. By this action the Young Progressive Democrats also ceased to exist.

Tom Parlon is an Irish former Progressive Democrats politician. He was a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Laois–Offaly constituency from 2002 to 2007 and was also the Minister of State at the Department of Finance with special responsibility for the Office of Public Works. He later served as the Director General of the Construction Industry Federation of Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2007 Irish general election</span> Election to the 30th Dáil

The 2007 Irish general election took place on Thursday, 24 May after the dissolution of the 29th Dáil by the President on 30 April, at the request of the Taoiseach. The general election took place in 43 parliamentary constituencies throughout Ireland for 166 seats in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of parliament, with a revision of constituencies since the last election under the Electoral (Amendment) Act 2005.

In the parliamentary politics of the United Kingdom and Canada, one member, one vote (OMOV) is a method of selecting party leaders, and determining party policy, by a direct vote of the members of a political party. Traditionally, these objectives have been accomplished either by a party conference, party convention, vote of members of parliament, or some form of electoral college. OMOV backers claim that OMOV enhances the practice of democracy, because ordinary citizens will be able to participate. Detractors counter that allowing those unversed in the issues to help make decisions makes for bad governance.

Katharine Bulbulia is a former politician from County Waterford in Ireland. She was a Fine Gael senator from 1981 to 1989, and subsequently joined the Progressive Democrats (PDs), serving from 1997 to 2006 as a senior aide to the party's leader.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 Scottish Labour leadership election</span>

The 2008 Scottish Labour Party leadership election was an internal party election to choose a new leader of the Labour Party in the Scottish Parliament, and was triggered following the resignation of Wendy Alexander following a row over donations to her own leadership campaign in 2007. Iain Gray won the contest and was announced as leader on 13 September 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011 Scottish Labour leadership election</span>

The 2011 Scottish Labour Party leadership election was an internal party election to choose a new leader of the Scottish Labour Party. The election followed the announcement by Iain Gray that he would stand down as leader in the autumn of 2011 following the party's heavy defeat to the Scottish National Party in May's Scottish Parliament general election. Gray won the previous contest in September 2008.

The 2017 Liberal Democrats deputy leadership election was announced on 14 June 2017, and Jo Swinson was elected unopposed on 20 June.

The 2017 Liberal Democrats leadership election was held following the resignation of Tim Farron as leader on 14 June 2017, after just under two years as leader of the Liberal Democrats. At the close of applications on 20 July 2017, Vince Cable was the only nominated candidate and was therefore declared the new leader of the party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Illinois Senate election</span>

The 2022 elections for the Illinois Senate occurred on November 8, 2022 to elect senators from all of the state's 59 legislative districts in the Illinois Senate. The primary election took place on Tuesday, June 28, 2022. The winners of this election would serve in the 103rd General Assembly, with seats apportioned among the state based on the 2020 United States census. Under the Illinois Constitution of 1970, senators are divided into three groups, with each group having a two-year term at a different part of the decade between censuses, with the rest of the decade being taken up by two four-year terms. The Democratic Party had held a majority in the Senate since 2003. The inauguration of the 103rd General Assembly occurred on Wednesday, January 11, 2023.

References

  1. "The Progressive Democrats Parliamentary Party".
  2. https://www.rte.ie/news/2006/0908/80116-pd/