Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi says he’s seeking the party’s nomination to run as a candidate in Edmonton.
The Edmonton-Strathcona seat became vacant when former leader Rachel Notley resigned as of Dec. 30, after almost 17 years in the legislature.
The riding has been an NDP stronghold for nearly 40 years, except for one term when Liberal legislature member Al Zariwny served there from 1993 to 1997.
Before taking the helm of the Opposition NDP this past summer, Nenshi served as mayor of Calgary for more than a decade.
“This doesn’t mean I’m leaving Calgary behind,” Nenshi said on social media Friday of his intention to run in the province’s capital.
“While still proudly Calgarian, I’m already dividing my time between the two cities and I’m looking forward to learning more about Edmonton.”
Premier Danielle Smith and many of her United Conservative Party cabinet ministers have criticized Nenshi for not seeking a seat in the legislature following his NDP leadership win last year.
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“This nomination means that I’ll be in the legislature to go head-to-head with Danielle Smith soon,” Nenshi said.
“I believe Alberta New Democrats can be a thoughtful government-in-waiting with real solutions for Alberta families.”
Smith has until June 30 to call a byelection. When asked last month if she’d call one in time for Nenshi to potentially earn a seat for the next legislature session in February, she said she’d have to “wait and see” what his intentions are.
Smith said in a Friday statement that the byelection would be called before the deadline, but did not say exactly when.
She said she has spoken with UCP brass and asked them to initiate their own nomination process to find a candidate to run against Nenshi.
“It’s important that all Albertans are being served and represented by their local MLA,” Smith said.
“The residents of Edmonton-Strathcona will have a choice when they go to the polls to elect a new representative.”
The NDP is coming off a byelection win last month in Lethbridge, the first to take place under Nenshi’s leadership.
NDP candidate Rob Miyashiro garnered 7,238 votes, compared to UCP candidate John Middleton-Hope, who received 6,093 votes.
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