Latest news with #byelection
CTV News
a day ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Central Alberta byelection a separation referendum trial run?
Calgary Watch Some experts have deemed an upcoming byelection in Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills a trial run for a separation referendum.
Irish Times
a day ago
- Business
- Irish Times
‘Scunnered' Scottish voters go to the polls in crucial byelection
When Scottish broadcaster STV recently hit the streets of Hamilton to gauge the mood of voters in advance of Thursday's crucial byelection, its political editor Colin Mackay returned with a pithy one-word verdict. Locals, he said, were 'scunnered' with politics. This general mood of disdain towards the establishment parties has opened the door to a once-unthinkable proposition: Reform UK , Nigel Farage 's upstart English nationalist outfit, is now a serious contender in a constituency vote in Scotland. Reform is still thought unlikely to win this week's byelection for the Holyrood devolved parliament seat of Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse; the Scottish National Party (SNP) is the favourite. But the mere fact that Reform is even capable of mounting a serious challenge illustrates the degree to which the sands are shifting in UK politics. Polling guru John Curtice, a professor at Strathclyde University, believes the SNP should prevail in the byelection, but with potentially only a third of the vote. Meanwhile, Labour 's worst nightmare would be if Reform were to push it into third place. READ MORE That would cement a narrative taking hold in British politics that says Reform, having conquered the Tories , is now coming for Labour's votes. It could also be a harbinger that the SNP, which looked dead and buried a year ago after the Westminster election, could yet cling to power in Holyrood after next year's devolved parliament elections. With a dearth of constituency polling, Labour sources still hope the party could pull off a surprise win in this week's Hamilton byelection. But for a Labour win to be seen as an outside prospect so soon after its supposed Scottish comeback last year shows just how its fortunes have dipped since winning power in Westminster. This week's byelection is in an area of Lanarkshire to the southeast of Glasgow. It was called following the death in March of the SNP's Christina McKelvie, who had been diagnosed with breast cancer. A large part of the devolved parliament constituency overlaps with the Westminster constituency of Labour MP Imogen Walker. She is married to Irish man Morgan McSweeney, UK prime minister Keir Starmer 's top adviser. That would make it even more embarrassing for the party were Reform to push it into third spot. The area includes most of the large town of Hamilton, with its relatively depressed centre, as well as the town of Larkhall, a bastion of Glasgow Rangers support that was once tagged the 'most sectarian town in Scotland'. Past articles have focused on the vandalism of anything in the town that was the colour green, synonymous with Irishness; the shopfront of the local Subway was repainted black by the company. Reform has canvassed heavily in Larkhall. [ SNP stages unlikely revival as Scottish Labour support collapses Opens in new window ] The campaign has been nasty at times. Reform, whose candidate is former Tory Ross Lambie, ran an online ad targeting the leader of Scottish Labour, Anas Sarwar. It suggested he would 'prioritise the Pakistani community'. Given Sarwar's ethnic heritage, the jibe was criticised as 'racist' by the other parties. The SNP's candidate is Katy Loudon, who unsuccessfully ran for the party in a Westminster byelection in 2023 and at last July's national poll. Considering Reform is pulling most of its support from Labour and the Tories, it could be third time lucky for Loudon this week as Farage's party further splits the pro-Union vote. Labour surged to more than 35 per cent of the Scottish vote in the Westminster vote last year, but most recent opinion polls for Holyrood show it has given up that ground already. It is now neck-and-neck with Reform at just below 20 per cent, but can blame much of its Scottish woes on the unpopularity of Starmer's UK government.
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Tennis champions and the southern lights: photos of the day
Anas Sarwar, the Scottish Labour leader, along with candidate Davy Russell launch a van at Raploch bowling club highlighting the choice voters face. The byelection to decide the successor to the late SNP MSP Christina McKelvie is to be held on 5 June Photograph: Murdo MacLeod/The Guardian Coco Gauff of the US in action during her fourth-round match against Russia's Ekaterina Alexandrova, which Gauff won. Follow our French Open coverage here Photograph: Denis Balibouse/Reuters Keir Starmer leaves the stage after delivering a speech on defence spending, during a visit to BAE Systems' Govan facility Photograph: Andy Buchanan/Reuters Paloma Faith joins Choose Love activists unveiling a banner on Westminster Bridge with a message from a Palestinian child, which says: 'Prime minister I don't want to die' Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA Palestinians struggle to get donated food at a community kitchen Photograph: Abdel Kareem Hana/AP People swim in a public pool in Wehrheim Photograph: Michael Probst/AP Mount Etna exhibits a Strombolian eruption, with a volcanic plume rising from the south-east crater. An orange aviation warning has been issued Photograph:Muslims perform morning prayers in the Grand Mosque during the annual hajj pilgrimage Photograph: Saudi Press Agency/Reuters Ash plumes from Canadian wildfires that have been drifting across the Upper Midwest render an evening sunset in hues of orange behind Lac La Belle in Oconomowoc Photograph: John Hart, Wisconsin State Journal/AP Performers react to music on Pancasila Day, a celebration of Indonesia's national ideology based on five principles: belief in one God, just and civilised humanity, national unity, democracy guided by the wisdom of people's representatives, and social justice for all Indonesians Photograph: Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images People take photos of Aurora Australis, also known as the southern lights, as it glows on the horizon over Lake Ellesmere in Lincoln Photograph: Sanka Vidanagama/AFP/Getty Images An official pours a chemical to set fire to a heap of seized expired medicines at a field Photograph: Atif Aryan/AFP/Getty Images The Australian acrobatic troupe Head First Acrobats perform in front of the classical Greek statue of Achilles in Hyde Park. This is to launch their Greek myth themed show GODZ before its run at the Sadlers Wells Peacock theatre from 11-14 June Photograph: Guy Bell/Shutterstock An employee of the Museum of Urban Sculpture cleans one of the four horse sculptures of the Anichkov Bridge over the Fontanka River Photograph: Dmitri Lovetsky/AP Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic party, attends his election campaign rally. The Korean presidential election race is in its final stretch, with the main candidates focusing their campaigns on the domestic political agenda. Photograph:
CBC
28-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
LaSalle council opts for $100K byelection to replace Sue Desjarlais
The Town of LaSalle has opted to hold a byelection to fill a town council seat left vacant by the passing of longtime councillor Sue Desjarlais in April. Council made the decision at a Tuesday night meeting. They reviewed options including appointments — but ultimately voted in favour of holding a byelection. The tentative date for the byelection is Oct. 20. "Council is committed to ensuring that the residents of LaSalle have a voice and the right to vote for their local government," stated LaSalle Mayor Crystal Meloche in a media release. "A byelection will allow our community to participate directly in selecting a new representative. It also allows fair opportunity for anyone who is eligible to run for a seat on council." Voting for the Oct. 20 byelection will take place online. The winner will only hold office for roughly a year, since municipal elections are set to take place across Ontario in October 2026. According to a report prepared by staff, it will cost the municipality about $100,000 to conduct the byelection, not including any staffing resources required. If town council had decided to appoint someone for the remainder of the term, administration says the cost would have been "minimal." "A byelection may be the most democratic option to fill the vacancy, but it will also be the most expensive, and by the time the successful candidate is elected, there will only be one year left in the term," the report stated. Desjarlais died on April 21. She was first elected to LaSalle town council in 2006.
CBC
28-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
Hamilton council will decide in June how to fill John-Paul Danko's Ward 8 seat
With former Hamilton councillor John-Paul Danko now a sitting member of parliament, Ward 8 residents currently don't have a representative at council. Danko won the Hamilton West-Ancaster-Dundas seat for the Liberal Party in the federal election a month ago. His council seat was declared vacant after council accepted the vacancy notice at Wednesday's meeting. "There's challenges right now because people aren't feeling represented," said Mayor Andrea Horwath at the council meeting. She advised anyone who needs help from the Ward 8 office to get in touch with her office instead. "We will work collaboratively with those who don't have a councillor right now," Horwath said. She also thanked Danko for his time as councillor and said she'll continue working with him as MP as he has a "deep knowledge of our city." Danko was first elected councillor in 2018. Before that he was a civil engineer and small business owner. Next steps to fill council seat At the June 11 general issues committee meeting, councillors will consider whether to call a byelection or appoint a new councillor, city clerk Matthew Trennum told council. If council decides to hold a byelection, they'll need to pass a bylaw and the election would have to take place within 105 days, according to the Municipal Act. If the bylaw is passed in June, election day would need to be around November. An appointment would mean council chooses a new councillor within 60 days of declaring the vacancy, the act says. A new councillor was selected for Ward 5 back in November, 2021, after former councillor Chad Collins became MP for Hamilton East-Stoney Creek earlier that fall. At the time, 21 hopefuls gave five-minute presentations before council selected Russ Powers to hold the position until the 2022 election. The next general municipal election is slated for October 2026.
