2012 New Democratic Party leadership election

2012 New Democratic Party leadership election

← 2003 March 24, 2012 2017 →
Turnout	50.9%
Candidate Tom Mulcair Brian Topp Nathan Cullen Fourth ballot 33,881 (57.2%) 25,329 (42.8%) Eliminated Third ballot 27,488 (43.8%) 19,822 (31.6%) 15,426 (24.6%) Second ballot 23,902 (38.3%) 15,624 (25.0%) 12,449 (19.9%) First ballot 19,728 (30.3%) 13,915 (21.4%) 10,671 (16.4%)   Candidate Peggy Nash Paul Dewar Martin Singh Fourth ballot Eliminated Withdrew Withdrew Third ballot Eliminated Withdrew Withdrew Second ballot 10,519 (16.8%) Withdrew Withdrew First ballot 8,353 (12.8%) 4,883 (7.5%) 3,821 (5.9%)   Candidate Niki Ashton Fourth ballot Eliminated Third ballot Eliminated Second ballot Eliminated First ballot 3,737 (5.7%)
Leader before election Nycole Turmel (interim) Elected Leader Thomas Mulcair

2012 New Democratic Party leadership election

Date	March 24, 2012
Convention	Metro Toronto Convention Centre Toronto, Ontario
Resigning leader	Jack Layton (deceased)
Won by	Thomas Mulcair
Ballots	4
Candidates	8
Entrance Fee	$15,000
Spending limit	$500,000
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The 2012 New Democratic Party leadership election (NDP), was held March 24, 2012, to elect a permanent successor to Jack Layton, who had died the previous summer.

The New Democratic Party's executive and caucus set the rules for the campaign at a series of meetings in September 2011. The election took place in Toronto and on the Internet. At the Leadership Convention, held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Tom Mulcair was declared to be the new leader of the party. The convention was to be held at Exhibition Place's Allstream Centre, but it was moved to the larger venue due to a greater than expected number of delegates registering for the event.^[1]

The vote was open to all NDP members in a combination of exhaustive ballot and instant-runoff voting with one member, one vote (OMOV); each member voted by preferential ballot in advance, or with a single ballot for each round on the day of the election. The entrance fee was set at $15,000 and each candidate's spending limit was capped at $500,000.

Mulcair was the NDP's seventh leader elected since its founding in 1961. Because the NDP was the Official Opposition in the 41st Canadian Parliament, he also assumed the position of Leader of the Official Opposition in the House of Commons of Canada.