A major mistake by the Liberal Party means over 100 of its candidates won’t be able to run in local elections in New South Wales, Australia’s most populous state.
The party missed the deadline to submit their nominations, and officials say they can’t accept late entries.
This error could lead to the loss of about 50 council seats, and several long-serving politicians will lose their jobs. Eight councils will not have a single Liberal candidate on the ballot.
State party director Richard Shields has apologized and said the mistake was due to “limited resources.” The party’s state leader, Mark Speakman, called the situation “probably the worst act of mismanagement” in the party’s history and said Shields should resign.
Election analyst Ben Raue estimates the party is short of 136 candidates, including 38 current councillors.
In Wollongong, the mistake has ended John Dorahy’s 13-year council career, though he hopes for some leniency.
However, the NSW Electoral Commission stated it cannot accept late nominations or changes to submitted forms.
The mishap has caused a crisis in the NSW Liberal Party, with many senior members expressing their anger and frustration.
Shields has apologized to the affected candidates and party members.
(Source: BBC)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly84x8rejjo