Conservative Party leadership election, 2011
The Conservative Party held a leadership election on 1 March 2011. It was triggered after incumbent leader and Prime Minister Sir John Goodwin announced his retirement. Minister of Home Affairs Amelia Pietersen won the election after seven rounds of voting.
Candidates
- Helen Bannister - Minister of Education; former Minister of Transport and Home Affairs
- Alex Foster - Mayor of Loygre
- Thomas Harlington - Former Prime Minister, leader of the Conservative Party, and Minister of Finance
- Amelia Pietersen - Minister of Home Affairs and Transport; former Minister of Labour and Health
Election
There are two groups of electors. The first is comprised of the parliamentary Conservative Party. The second is comprised of ordinary members of the party. A successful candidate is required to receive a majority of the votes of both groups.
After the convention begins, an initial vote will take place. If no candidate receives a majority among both groups of electors, a second round of voting will take place. If no candidate has been elected in the second round, a third round of voting will take place. Beginning with the third round, a candidate will be eliminated after each vote. A weighted average of the percentage of the vote received will be used to determine which candidate is eliminated, with the parliamentary party vote counting for 60% and the membership vote counting for 40%. After all but two candidates have been eliminated, there will be up to two further rounds of voting (beginning with the third round if only two candidates are standing). If after these two rounds, no candidate has received a majority of the votes from both groups, a final round of voting will take place. The winner will be determined using the same weighted average used to determine elimination.
Results
| Candidate | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 4 | Round 5 | Round 6 | Round 7 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MP | Mem | MP | Mem | MP | Mem | Wtd | MP | Mem | Wtd | MP | Mem | MP | Mem | MP | Mem | Wtd | |
| Bannister | 33.3% | 12.8% | 20.0% | 7.4% | 10% | 6.9% | 8.8% | ← Elim. | |||||||||
| Foster | 13.3% | 24.9% | 23.3% | 27.2% | 30% | 31.9% | 30.7% | 33.3% | 36.7% | 34.6% | 43.3% | 51.4% | 46.7% | 52.7% | 46.7% | 53.1% | 49.3% |
| Harlington | 6.7% | 28.2% | 10.0% | 26.4% | 10% | 25.1% | 16.0% | 13.3% | 24.1% | 17.6% | ← Elim. | ||||||
| Pietersen | 46.7% | 34.1% | 46.7% | 39.0% | 50% | 36.1% | 44.4% | 53.3% | 39.2% | 47.7% | 56.7% | 48.6% | 53.3% | 47.3% | 53.3% | 46.9% | 50.7% |