Winchester by-election, 1997

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The Member of Parliament for Winchester, Hampshire, England, Mark Oaten, (Liberal Democrat) was unseated on an electoral petition on October 6, 1997. Mr Oaten had originally been declared elected with a majority of two votes after many recounts and haggling over spoilt ballots. The High Court held that since the 54 votes declared void for want of the Official Mark would have changed the result if counted, and the court could not be sure they were not the product of a mistake, then the result was uncertain. They therefore allowed the petition and declared the election void.

The byelection was held on November 20, and resulted in a clear win by Oaten. Gerry Malone, the former Conservative MP who had lost his seat in the general election, was criticised as a 'poor loser'. The Labour Party obtained their worst ever results in a parliamentary election, in part because they hardly campaigned at all and instead focused their priorities on a by-election in Beckenham held on the same day.

Both the original and rerun election involved an incidence of a candidate using an attempted confusing description, with Richard Huggett describing himself in the general election as Liberal Democrat Top Choice For Parliament (leading to Oaten, the official Lib Dem candidate, to use the ballot paper description Liberal Democrat Leader Paddy Ashdown) and in the by-election as a 'Literal Democrat'. The Registration of Political Parties Act 1998 put an end to this practice.

This was also the last election (by or general) in which Screaming Lord Sutch (real name, David Edward Sutch, (November 10, 1940 – June 16, 1999), founder of the Official Monster Raving Loony Party, ran for a parliamentary seat. He committed suicide in 1999.

[edit] Results

By-election 1997: Winchester
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrat Mark Oaten 37,006 68.0 +26.0
Conservative Gerry Malone 15,450 28.4 −13.6
Labour Patrick Davies 944 1.7 −8.8
UK Independence Robin Page 521 1.0 +0.2
Monster Raving Loony Lord David Sutch 316 0.6 +0.1
Literal Democrat Richard Huggett 51 0.1 −0.9
Natural Law Rosemary Barry 48 0.1
Independent Conservative Roger Everest 40 0.1
Majority 21,556
Turnout 68.7
Liberal Democrat gain from Conservative Swing

[edit] General Election result, 1997

General Election 1997: Winchester
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrat Mark Oaten 26,100 42.1
Conservative Gerry Malone 26,098 42.0
Labour Patrick Davies 6,528 10.5
Referendum Party Peter Strand 1,598 2.6
Independent Liberal Democrat Richard Huggett 640 1.0
UK Independence Derek Rumsey 476 0.8
Independent (politician) John Browne 307 0.5
Monster Raving Loony Peter Stockton 307 0.5
Majority 2
Turnout
Liberal Democrat gain from Conservative Swing

[edit] See also