Manitoba Liberals to announce interim leader

The Manitoba Liberals will announce a new interim leader at a news conference Friday morning.

The former leader of the provincial Liberals was lawyer Rana Bokhari, who stepped down weeks after the party took three seats in the election last April. Bokhari was defeated in her attempt to gain a seat in the Manitoba Legislature after a grueling campaign that featured several gaffs by the Liberals.

The new interim leader was chosen by the board of directors of the Manitoba Liberal Party. Bokhari recently accepted a position as a partner in a Winnipeg law firm.

Despite a rocky campaign, the Liberals tripled their seat count in the Manitoba Legislature; Jon Gerrard was re-elected in River Heights, Judy Klassen won a seat in the northern constituency of Kewatinook, and Cindy Lamoureux was elected in Burrows.

The Liberals have been without a leader since Bokhari stepped down. The three sitting MLAs have been taking turns criticizing the government in question period.