President of the Liberal Democrats
| President of the Liberal Democrats | |
|---|---|
| Member of | Federal Board |
| Reports to | Liberal Democrats |
| Appointer | Liberal Democrats |
| Term length | three-years; renewable once |
| Formation | 1988 |
| First holder | Sir Ian Wrigglesworth |
| Deputy | Vacant |
The president of the Liberal Democrats chairs the Federal Board of the Liberal Democrats of the United Kingdom.
The responsibilities of the president are similar to that of chairman of the Conservative Party, although the role is elected by the membership for a fixed term.
They are elected in an all-member ballot by Liberal Democrat party members for a three-year term, updated from two-year terms. They may serve a maximum of two three-year terms. The next scheduled contest will occur in Autumn 2022 with the winner beginning their term of office on 1 January 2023.
The current president is Mark Pack, who was elected in 2019 and took office on 1 January 2020.
Eligibility to stand[]
In order to be a candidate for president, the candidate must be a member of the Liberal Democrats and secure the nomination of not less than 200 members in not less than 20 local parties (including, for this purpose, the specified associated organisations representing youth and/or students).[1]
List of party presidents to date[]
| Term | Name(s) | Constituency (where applicable) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989–90 | Sir Ian Wrigglesworth | N/A (served as MP 1974–1987) | |
| 1991–94 | Charles Kennedy | Ross, Cromarty and Skye | |
| 1995–98 | Bob Maclennan | Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross | |
| 1999–00 | Diana Maddock | N/A | |
| 2001–04 | Navnit Dholakia | N/A | |
| 2005–08 | Simon Hughes | North Southwark and Bermondsey | |
| 2009–10 | Ros Scott | N/A | |
| 2011–14 | Tim Farron | Westmorland and Lonsdale | |
| 2015–19 | Sal Brinton | N/A | |
| 2020– | Mark Pack | N/A | |
| Member of the House of Commons | |
| Member of the House of Lords | |
| Non Parliamentarian |
Election results[]
Elections in the 2010s[]
2019[]
Mark Pack was elected president of the Liberal Democrats.[2]
| Candidate | First round | |
|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | |
| Mark Pack | 14,381 | 58.6% |
| Christine Jardine | 10,164 | 41.4% |
| Turnout/Total | 24,545 | 23.1%[3] |
2016[]
Sal Brinton was returned unopposed.[4][5]
2014[]
| Candidate | First round | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Transfers | Votes | % | |
| Sal Brinton | 7,865 | 46.86 | +2,323 | 10,188 | 62.40 |
| Daisy Cooper | 4,530 | 26.98 | +1,608 | 6,138 | 37.59 |
| Liz Lynne | 4,389 | 26.14 | |||
| Turnout/Total | 16,784 | 38.9 | |||
There were 25 spoilt/rejected ballots.[6]
2012[]
Tim Farron was returned unopposed.[7]
2010[]
| Candidate | First round | |
|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | |
| Tim Farron | 14,593 | 52.98 |
| Susan Kramer | 12,950 | 47.01 |
| Turnout/Total | 27,543 | 41.9 |
There were 64 spoilt/rejected ballots.
Elections in the 2000s[]
2008[]
| Candidate | First round | |
|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | |
| Ros Scott | 20,736 | 72.04 |
| Lembit Opik | 6,247 | 21.70 |
| Chandila Fernando | 1,799 | 6.25 |
| Turnout/Total | 28,782 | 47.8 |
There were 49 spoilt/rejected ballots.[8]
2006[]
Simon Hughes was returned unopposed.
2004[]
| Candidate | First round | |
|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | |
| Simon Hughes | 24,333 | 70.86 |
| Lembit Opik | 10,002 | 29.13 |
| Turnout/Total | 34,335 | 29.13 |
There were 144 spoilt/rejected ballots.[9]
2002[]
Navnit Dholakia was returned unopposed.
2000[]
Navnit Dholakia was returned unopposed.
Elections in the 1990s[]
1998[]
Diana Maddock was returned unopposed.
1996[]
Bob Maclennan was returned unopposed.
1994[]
| Candidate | First round | |
|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | |
| Bob Maclennan | 18,080 | 53.77 |
| Don Foster | 8,979 | 26.61 |
| Martin Thomas | 6,561 | 19.51 |
| Turnout/Total | 33,620 | 33.4 |
There were 114 spoilt/rejected ballots.
1992[]
| Candidate | First round | |
|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | |
| Charles Kennedy | 25,956 | 70.45 |
| Martin Thomas | 10,813 | 29.35 |
| Turnout/Total | 36,840 | 36.2 |
There were 71 spoilt/rejected ballots.
1990[]
| Candidate | First round | |
|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | |
| Charles Kennedy | 24,648 | 84.24 |
| Tim Clement-Jones | 4,818 | 16.11 |
| Brian Grocott | 436 | 1.45 |
| Turnout/Total | 29,902 | 36.3 |
There were 55 spoilt/rejected ballots.
Elections in the 1980s[]
1988[]
| Candidate | First round | |
|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | |
| Ian Wrigglesworth | 28,638 | 50.22 |
| Des Wilson | 21,906 | 38.41 |
| Gwynoro Jones | 6,479 | 11.36 |
| Turnout/Total | 57,023 | 71.2 |
There were 448 spoilt/rejected ballots.
See also[]
References[]
- ^ "The Federal Constitution of the Liberal Democrats" (PDF). September 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 January 2018. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
- ^ http://www.libdems.org.uk (2019-12-14). "Meet our new party president". Liberal Democrats. Retrieved 2019-12-14.
{{cite web}}: External link in|last= - ^ Based on party membership reported as 106,575 - https://www.markpack.org.uk/143767/liberal-democrat-membership-figures/
- ^ "Lib Dems publish timetable for 2016 Party President election". 19 September 2016. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
- ^ "Sal Brinton re-elected unopposed as Lib Dem President". 10 November 2016. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
- ^ "Lib Dems elect new party president". 29 November 2014. Retrieved 31 January 2018 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
- ^ http://www.libdems.org.uk/ (10 May 2017). "Tim Farron". Retrieved 31 January 2018.
{{cite web}}: External link in|last= - ^ Summers, Deborah (10 November 2008). "Defeated Öpik vows to back Lib Dem president". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
- ^ "Hughes is new Lib Dem president". 2 September 2004. Retrieved 31 January 2018 – via news.bbc.co.uk.
- Liberal Democrats (UK)