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John Banks to lead ACT Party

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Thu, 16 Feb 2012 12:37p.m.

ACT Party president Chris Simmons and new leader John Banks

ACT Party president Chris Simmons and new leader John Banks

Lone ACT MP John Banks is the party's new leader.

ACT made the announcement on Thursday afternoon to say Mr Banks will take over at the helm of the party which has been without a leader since Don Brash stepped down on election night in November.

Dr Brash served as leader for only seven months, after rolling Rodney Hide from the top spot last April.

ACT received only 1.07 per cent of the party vote in the election, but as Mr Banks won the seat of Epsom, he returned to parliament as its sole MP.

Mr Banks is also a former National MP, having been in parliament from 1981 to 1999, and was mayor of Auckland City from 2001 to 2004, and from 2007 to 2010.

NZN

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Comments

16 Feb 2012 05:15p.m.

Craig wrote:

Excuse me, but Stephen Franks is one of the primary reasons that ACT descended into fratricidal self-destruction in the first place, sowing the seeds of the populist-technocrat split that has effectively decimated the party.

16 Feb 2012 03:01p.m.

Felicia Jollygoodfellow wrote:

What ACT, like most political parties, need a leader to be intelligent, charismatic and representative of their politics. John Banks is none of these. Bring back Stephen Franks.