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Isle of Man: Alfred Cannan elected new chief minister

BBC Alfred CannanBBC
Alfred Cannan has secured the top job in Manx politics at his second attempt

Alfred Cannan has been elected the Isle of Man's new chief minister.

Mr Cannan was backed by 14 members of the House of Keys to take the top job in Manx politics.

Fellow nominee Alex Allinson was beaten into second place with eight votes from the House of Keys, after two MHKs abstained from the poll.

Mr Cannan, who has been treasury minister for the past five years, said he accepted the role with "humility but also with a strong sense of purpose".

Howard Quayle
Howard Quayle has been the Isle of Man's chief minister for the past five years

It marked the first time the position was chosen by MHKs alone after members of the Legislative Council were removed from the vote.

Mr Cannan will now take over from Howard Quayle, who has retired from Manx politics after holding the post since 2016.

Accepting the position, he said he wanted to "harness the collective will and determination of all members to do the very best for our island".

He added: "I look forward to working with everybody to bring forward the best policies, and drive the government to ultimately deliver and succeed and build a secure and sustainable and vibrant island for the future."

Alex Allinson
First elected in 2016, Alex Allinson was appointed education minister last year

Following the initial vote which gave Mr Cannan the majority of support, he secured the support of 21 of the 24 members in a confirmatory second vote.

Thanking Dr Allinson for the "professional manner and considerations he's given during the short campaign around this important election", he added: "I wish him well for the future".

First elected in 2011 in the single-seat constituency of Michael, Mr Cannan secured one of two seats in the newly-formed Ayre and Michael in 2016.

Following that campaign, he unsuccessfully stood for the position of chief minister alongside Mr Quayle and Kate Beecroft.

After securing a third term in the House of Keys in September's general election, he now holds that coveted position.

Now that the result has been declared, the new chief minister will appoint eight other MHKs to form the Council of Ministers.

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