Federal Liberals delay leadershiop vote for full two years
Posted June 18, 2011 5:52 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Devastated federal Liberals won’t choose a new leader for a full two years.
Delegates to a special “virtual” convention have decided to postpone a leadership vote until sometime between March 1 and June 30, 2013.
That’s an even greater delay than proposed by party brass, who had wanted Liberals to take 18 to 22 months to rebuild before choosing a permanent replacement for Michael Ignatieff.
Ignatieff resigned after leading the once-mighty party to its worst defeat in history in the May 2 election, which saw the Liberals reduced to a third party rump with only 34 seats.
Toronto MP Bob Rae was named interim leader last month and will continue to hold down the fort until a permanent leader is chosen.
The party’s constitution requires a successor to be chosen within five months of a leader’s resignation.
But few Liberals had the stomach to plunge into a divisive contest immediately after the May 2 bloodbath.