Liberal Democratic Party of the United Islands leadership election, 2007

The 2007 election to decide the new leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of the United Islands will elect Zoe Parker's replacement. The winner will become Leader of the Opposition and will be the likely candidate for Prime Minister at the 2010 election, though this is far from certain. The leadership election was brought about by the resignation of Zoe Parker as leader following the party's election loss.

Rules and procedure
The election will be the second conducted under the party's new leadership contest rules. The first round of voting will be held by Members of Parliament and Senators from the LDP, of which there are 139 in total. All candidates will stand in this election. A ballot will be taken of all members of the party room and results tallied. If one candidate emerges with a majority of votes (70), they will be deemed elected. If no candidate achieves a majority, the top two placing candidates will enter the second round. The second round of voting will be conducted by postal ballot. All members of the Liberal Democrats will be eligible to vote in the election. There are approximately 56,000 LDP members. The voting will take place over nine days, and counting is expected to take approximately one to two days. The winner will be the candidate with the most votes in the postal round. Following the election, the winner will become party leader immediately and take up the role of Leader of the Opposition. For the interim period, Michael Boyle, formerly the party's deputy leader, will assume the leadership on an acting basis. Boyle has stated he will only name a Shadow Cabinet (Georgeland) in the event the contest stretches to a second round.

Timing
The first round of voting will take place on July 9th, with nominations closing the day before. If one candidate emerges with a majority (such as if there are only two candidates), that candidate will take office immediately. If a postal vote occurs, ballots will be posted to members on July 16th. The voting period will end on July 25th and the winner announced on the 26th or 27th of July, 2007. In line with conventional practice, Parliament will not begin sitting until a Leader of the Opposition has been chosen. The first session of the 38th Parliament will be held in mid-August.

Confirmed candidates

 * Andrea Perkins, former Deputy Prime Minister and leader of the party's faction composed of former Democrats announced on July 3rd that she would be a candidate for the leadership. Perkins, who contested the leadership in 2005 but lost, will garner significant support from rank-and-file members but is regarded unfavorably by party factional leaders and "traditional" Liberal Democrats. If she wins the vote, Perkins will become the first woman to succeed a woman as leader of a national political party and the second woman to be Leader of the Opposition.

Ex-Democrats
Some have speculated Sales could contest Zoe Parker's seat of Peterson, assuming Parker resigns from Parliament (which she has not yet committed to doing).
 * Michael Boyle is not generally considered a viable candidate, especially as Perkins, his factional leader, is running. However, Boyle has refused to rule out a run.
 * Geraldine McLean, the former Mayor of Santa Christina, is a powerful figure inside the party and a leader of the moderate faction composed of the former Labour Right. Speculation about McLean and a future leadership tilt has been rife since she left local politics to become an MP in 2004.
 * Keith Briggs is considered to be the moderate faction's leader, and has suggested that he would nominate if no other candidate from his faction did. Briggs is seen as intelligent and articulate, but is also percieved by some in the community as 'pompous' or 'snobbish'. He is also both homosexual and Buddhist, which has led to some doubt over his electability. Briggs will also be 62 at the next election.
 * Xavier McLaren has refused to rule out a run. However, he will turn 64 in 2010 and many consider him too old to make a viable candidate. He has strong economic credentials and a certain degree of respect inside the party, but is also not seen as charismatic and his centrist faction has little real influence. McLaren also fared very poorly in the 2005 election, recieving the fewest votes in the first round.
 * Adam St. John is a much younger protege of McLaren's, and may contest the leadership on behalf of his faction. St. John is in many ways the "sole hope" of the centrists, as former heavyweight Christine Hinkle now represents the Georgeland Alliance, and Patricia Gibson only barely managed to retain her seat. It should be noted that St. John has been in Cabinet less than a year, and that he voted against Campbell Rhodes in a no-confidence motion in 2005.
 * Lawrence Porter, one of the leaders of the Broad Left, has long been considered a leadership contender. Porter would be the first black party leader in Georgeland if he were to win. Porter is considered a very strong contender but there are some indications the Broad Left would consider supporting a Perkins leadership. However, other sources have suggested the Broad Left and Moderates would unite to block a Perkins victory. Porter did not run in 2005, allowing Clare Price to represent his faction.
 * Deborah Rhodes is considered a "dark horse" candidate, but has been mentioned in several circles as a potential leader. Rhodes, the wife of former Prime Minister Campbell Rhodes, is popular and a leading member of the moderate faction.
 * Erica Lucas is another moderate, or Right-wing, Cabinet minister. Lucas has a low profile, however, and has not been in Cabinet very long.
 * David Keeler is, like Lucas above, a recent Cabinet addition from the moderate faction. Either Keeler or Lucas, however, could run if pressed and if nobody else from the Right seeks nomination.
 * Robin Sales, the former Chief Minister of East Mainland, is a Senator and thus ineligible to be Leader of the Opposition. However, his significant policy experience and position as a moderate powerbroker makes him an attractive option. If Sales were to be elected, he would have to switch to the lower house in order to serve as Leader of the Opposition, but could also name a Commons leader and lead the party from the Senate.

Not running

 * Campbell Rhodes was asked if he'd consider returning to lead his party from opposition. Rhodes is no longer a member of parliament and categorically ruled out that option, and refused to endorse a candidate (though he hinted he would support his wife if she ran).
 * Clare Price, Parker's Health Minister and a leader of the Broad Left, announced she would not contest and encouraged Lawrence Porter to do so. Price ran for the leadership in 2005 but was eliminated in the first round.

Issues
The primary challenge facing any new leader would be how to re-capture public attention and "claw back" the number of seats lost to the Tories at the general election. A number of commentators have suggested the new leader would need to 'reform' certain aspects of policy and shift the party's position back towards the left, as the move towards the centre is often suggested as a key factor in the government's defeat in 2007.

Deputy leadership
A number of candidates have been suggested as potential deputy leaders. The LDP now has an appointed deputy leader, as opposed to an elected one. The deputy leader usually represents a different faction to the leader. In the event of a Broad Left or Ex-Democrat leader, the Right, or moderates, would be likely to provide the deputy leadership. Often-mentioned candidates include Keith Briggs, David Keeler and Erica Lucas. If a moderate or centrist leader wins, the deputy leadership would be likely to come from the Broad Left or Ex-Democrats - frequently mentioned names include Lawrence Porter, Clare Price, Michael Boyle (retaining his current role), and Michael Gannett.