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By Canadian Press
Conservative Party Leadership

O’Toole wins after third ballot in Conservative leadership race

Aug 23, 2020 | 11:19 PM

OTTAWA – Erin O’Toole is the new leader of the federal Conservative party, winning the race after a third round of counting that came hours later than expected.

Peter MacKay placed second, after having come out on top in the first round.

Nearly 270,000 party members were eligible to vote in the race, and upwards of 175,000 ultimately cast a ballot.

The result came in the wee hours of Monday, as machines tasked with slicing envelopes malfunctioned and several thousand ballots had to be replicated by hand under the close eye of scrutineers throughout Sunday evening.

O’Toole’s first major task will be to guide the party through a confidence vote next month in the House of Commons.

At the same time, he will have to focus on bringing together the various factions that developed over the course of the sometimes fractious campaign.

(The Canadian Press)

by Canadian Press