REGINA – The Saskatchewan Party has started the process of nominating candidates for the upcoming provincial byelections.
On Saturday the party nominated Riaz Ahmad to be their candidate in Regina Coronation Park. He defeated two other candidates, Chidi Igwe and Nulee Menegbo, in a contested nomination.
“It is an honour of a lifetime,” said Ahmad in a news release on Saturday. “I look forward to working with the great people of Coronation Park as their candidate, and hopefully next MLA.”
Ahmad adds that Premier Moe and the Saskatchewan Party “listen and deliver to the people of our province… If elected to be an MLA, I hope to be a strong bridge between our constituency and government.”
Earlier, the Saskatchewan NDP has already nominated Noor Burki to be their nominee in Coronation Park. The seat was vacated earlier this year by the resignation of Saskatchewan Party MLA Mark Docherty.
Ahmad’s nomination marks the first of three Saskatchewan Party candidates to be selected for the three upcoming byelections expected to fill vacancies in the Legislature.
On June 8, Lumsden-Morse will nominate a candidate for their byelection. The three candidates seeking the nomination include Brad Crassweller, Shawn Davidson and Blaine McLeod. The seat has been vacated by Lyle Stewart who resigned at the start of the spring sitting due to health reasons.
On June 5 the Sask Party will select a nominee for Regina Walsh Acres, the seat left vacant by the death of Derek Meyers. It is known that Nevin Markwart, former Boston Bruins NHL player and an investment industry executive, has thrown his hat into the ring seeking the Sask Party nomination.
The New Democrats also plan to run candidates in both those seats. Already it is confirmed that Jared Clarke has announced he is seeking the NDP nomination in Regina Walsh Acres, and it is expected the party's candidates will be in nominated and in place in time for the byelection campaign.
The NDP also currently have competitive nomination races currently happening in seats being contested in the 2024 provincial election. Those include in the Sask Party-held seats of Saskatoon Churchill-Wildwood and Prince Albert Northcote, and in Cumberland where the NDP's Doyle Vermette is not running again.
Dates for the byelections in Coronation Park, Walsh Acres and Lumsden-Morse have not been confirmed as of yet. The byelections are expected to be called within the coming weeks.
