Friday, May 11, 2007

Manitoba Greens Having Little Impact on Election

They say the Green party is on the rise, but it doesn't look that way in Manitoba.

The Greens are fielding just 15 candidates in Manitoba's 57 provincial constituencies, up just one from last election. They have also lost their star candidate from 2003, Markus Buchart, who won nearly 20% of the vote in the Wolseley riding, finishing second to the NDP candidate. The next best Green riding result was less than 10% of the vote.

According to CBC:

The Greens have been mired in confusion since the spring of 2005, when Buchart resigned, complaining party meetings and committees had been "hijacked" by a group of dissident members who "paralyzed" the party. Almost all other executive council members followed Buchart, leaving the Greens on the brink of collapse.


The new Green Party leader, Andrew Basham, has no hope of making a breakthrough because he is running against NDP Premier Gary Doer in his home riding of Concordia.