February 29, 2016 - 11:50 — Timothy Gillespie
Nova Scotia New Democrats have taken a decisive turn to the progressive left with the election of Gary Burrill as the new leader of the NDP.
The post has been vacant since the fall of 2013 when Premier Darrell Dexter's government was roundly defeated by the Liberals under Stephen McNeil, reducing it from majority government to third-party status. Dexter lost his own seat in Cole Harbour and resigned as leader of the Nova Scotia NDP on November 23, 2013.
Since then Maureen MacDonald, MLA from Halifax-Needham, has been serving as the interim leader of the party.
In a three-person contest with MLAs Lenore Zann and Dave Wilson, Burrill emerged with a clear win securing the first and second choice preferences of 1,343 members (of 2,269 voters) in an election that employed ranked balloting and in which a record 74.2 per cent of eligible NDP members voted. Lenore Zann came second while Dave Wilson finished in third place.
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