Ignatieff tops first ballot in Canadian Liberal convention
{{date|December 2, 2006}}
[[Image:Stephane dion rally.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Stephane Dion, at a Friday rally.]]
[[Image:Joe Volpe out.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Volpe announcing his withdrawal.]]

[[Michael Ignatieff]] has been confirmed as the front-runner at the [[w:2006 Liberal Party leadership convention|Liberal Party of Canada leadership convention]] following the release of the results of the first ballot. The former Harvard academic leads the field of eight contestants with 1,412 votes (29.3%). As expected, [[Bob Rae]] is in second place with 977 vote (20.3%). [[Stéphane Dion]] did better than expected and is in a tight battle for third place with [[Gerard Kennedy]] with Dion receiving 856 votes (17.8%) two more than Kennedy's 854 votes (17.7%).

Ignatieff, Rae, Dion and Kennedy are considered to be the only candidates with a realsitica possibility of winning this weekend's convention as the other four candidates finished with less than 5% support. 

80% of the delegates were committed to vote for specific candidates on the first ballot under the party's delegate selection process. In subsequent ballots, however, delegates will be free to vote for whomever they wish. 

The ex-officio delegates who are former Cabinet ministers, MPs and senior party officials, were free to vote as they wished on the first ballot providing an element of uncertainty. The results, however, closely mirrored the allocated vote of committed delegates, however, except for a stronger than expected showing for Dion who placed fourth in committed delegates elected at riding Delegate Selected Meetigns but who finished third in tonight's first ballot, edging out Kennedy, due to the support of ex-officio delegates.

Voting on the second ballot begins Saturday morning at 9am with subsequent ballots occurring throughout the day, as needed, until one candidate emerges with a majority of the vote. 

[[w:Martha Hall Findlay|Martha Hall Findlay]] did better than expected by receiving 130 votes but still finished last on the first ballot and is therefore eliminated by the contest. Prior to the announcement of the results candidate [[Joe Volpe]] announced that he would be withdrawing after the first ballot in order to throw his support to Bob Rae. 

{|class="wikitable"
|+'''First Ballot Results'''
|-
!Candidate
!Elected Delegates
!Percentage
|-
|Michael Ignatieff|| 1,412||29.3%
|-
|Bob Rae|| 977||20.3%
|-
|Stephane Dion||856||17.8%
|-
|Gerard Kennedy||854||17.7%
|-
|Ken Dryden||238||4.9%
|-
|Scott Brison||192||4.0%
|-
|Joe Volpe||156||3.2%
|-
|Martha Hall Findlay||130||2.7%
|}

==Sources==
{{wikipediapar|Liberal Party of Canada leadership convention, 2006}}
*[http://www.liberal.ca/leadership2006_results_e.aspx Liberal Party of Canada website]
*{{source|url=http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1164971648327&call_pageid=968332188492&col=968793972154|title=Ignatieff ahead after first ballot|author=Canadian Press|pub=Toronto Star|date=December 2, 2006}}
*{{source|url=http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20061202.wleaders02/BNStory/LiberalBackgrounder/home|title=Ignatieff wins first ballot - Stéphane Dion makes a surprise move to third place |author=Bill Curry, Gloria Galloway and Michael Valpy|pub=Globe and Mail|date=December 2, 2006}}

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[[Category:Elections]]
[[Category:Elections in Canada]]
[[Category:Liberal Party of Canada leadership, 2006]]
[[Category:Canada]]
[[Category:North America]]
[[Category:Politics and conflicts]]
[[Category:Bob Rae]]
[[Category:Michael Ignatieff]]
[[Category:Gerard Kennedy]]
[[Category:Stéphane Dion]]
[[Category:Liberal Party of Canada]]
Stephane Dion, at a Friday rally.
Volpe announcing his withdrawal.

Michael Ignatieff has been confirmed as the front-runner at the Liberal Party of Canada leadership convention following the release of the results of the first ballot. The former Harvard academic leads the field of eight contestants with 1,412 votes (29.3%). As expected, Bob Rae is in second place with 977 vote (20.3%). Stéphane Dion did better than expected and is in a tight battle for third place with Gerard Kennedy with Dion receiving 856 votes (17.8%) two more than Kennedy's 854 votes (17.7%).

Ignatieff, Rae, Dion and Kennedy are considered to be the only candidates with a realsitica possibility of winning this weekend's convention as the other four candidates finished with less than 5% support. 

80% of the delegates were committed to vote for specific candidates on the first ballot under the party's delegate selection process. In subsequent ballots, however, delegates will be free to vote for whomever they wish. 

The ex-officio delegates who are former Cabinet ministers, MPs and senior party officials, were free to vote as they wished on the first ballot providing an element of uncertainty. The results, however, closely mirrored the allocated vote of committed delegates, however, except for a stronger than expected showing for Dion who placed fourth in committed delegates elected at riding Delegate Selected Meetigns but who finished third in tonight's first ballot, edging out Kennedy, due to the support of ex-officio delegates.

Voting on the second ballot begins Saturday morning at 9am with subsequent ballots occurring throughout the day, as needed, until one candidate emerges with a majority of the vote. 

Martha Hall Findlay did better than expected by receiving 130 votes but still finished last on the first ballot and is therefore eliminated by the contest. Prior to the announcement of the results candidate Joe Volpe announced that he would be withdrawing after the first ballot in order to throw his support to Bob Rae. 


+'First Ballot Results'

Candidate

Elected Delegates

Percentage

Michael Ignatieff

 1,412

29.3%

Bob Rae

 977

20.3%

Stephane Dion

856

17.8%

Gerard Kennedy

854

17.7%

Ken Dryden

238

4.9%

Scott Brison

192

4.0%

Joe Volpe

156

3.2%

Martha Hall Findlay

130

2.7%
Elections Elections in Canada Liberal Party of Canada leadership, 2006 Canada North America Politics and conflicts Bob Rae Michael Ignatieff Gerard Kennedy Stéphane Dion Liberal Party of Canada