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The 2005 Scottish Liberal Democrats leadership election was an election to choose a new leader of the Liberal Democrats in Scotland, triggered following the resignation of Jim Wallace. [1] Two candidates were nominated. The 4,500 members were polled. The declaration of results occurred on 23 June 2005. Nicol Stephen was elected. The previous leader Jim Wallace was elected unopposed in 1992 after the resignation of Malcolm Bruce.
The following MSPs gained the required one nomination from a fellow MSP, and were therefore candidates for the leadership:
The result of the leadership election was announced on 23 June 2005; turnout of the 4,500 Lib Dem membership was 65%. [2] [3]
| Candidate | Votes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | |||
Nicol Stephen  | 76.6% | |||
| Mike Rumbles | 23.4% | |||
| Turnout | 65% | |||
| Nicol Stephen elected leader Source: [3] | ||||
James Robert Wallace, Baron Wallace of Tankerness, is a Scottish politician serving as a Liberal Democrat life peer in the British House of Lords since 2007 and Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland from 2021 to 2022. He served as the Deputy First Minister of Scotland from 1999 to 2005, and during that time he served twice as acting First Minister, in 2000, in the aftermath of Donald Dewar's death and in 2001, following Henry McLeish's resignation. He was formerly Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats from 1992 to 2005 and Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords from 2013 to 2016.
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2005 United Kingdom party leadership elections | ||
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