Rana Bokhari
| Rana Bokhari | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Leader of the Manitoba Liberal Party | |
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In office October 26, 2013 – September 24, 2016 |
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| Preceded by | Jon Gerrard |
| Succeeded by | Judy Klassen (interim) |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
October 23, 1977 Anola, Manitoba |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Residence | Winnipeg, Manitoba |
| Alma mater | University of Manitoba |
| Profession | Lawyer |
| Website | ranabokhari |
Rana Bokhari (born c. 1977), was the leader of the Manitoba Liberal Party in Manitoba, Canada. She was elected leader of the Manitoba Liberal Party on October 26, 2013 after Jon Gerrard's resignation following the 2011 general election. After a disappointing third place showing in the riding of Fort Rouge in the 2016 general election, she announced on May 7, 2016 that she would step down as leader as soon as her successor was chosen, but it was then announced in September that she had stepped down immediately. An interim leader will be chosen after a party meeting on October 15.
Bokhari was born on a farm near Anola, Manitoba. As a student she attended the University of Manitoba where she obtained degrees in criminology and psychology. She then went on to complete a degree in law at Robson Hall, focusing on corporate commercial law. While completing her law degree, Bokhari was active in the Manitoba Law Students Association, serving as President in 2012.
Bokhari moved to Pakistan in 2002, living there with her family until she returned to Winnipeg in 2006. Her childhood home and family chicken farm were lost to fire in 2012.
When the long-standing leader of the provincial Liberal Party, Jon Gerrard, decided to stand down, she was the first person formally to declare her candidacy. She faced two opponents, Bob Axworthy and Doug Lamont. During the party leadership contest, Bokhari was seen as an outsider. Although two of her relatives had stood as Liberal candidates at the previous provincial election, she had not previously had a profile in the provincial party. Despite this, she was endorsed by the Manitoba Senator Maria Chaput, the leading Liberal candidate from the 2011 elections, Paul Hesse and party Vice-President Robert Young. One of her opponents, Bob Axworthy, was seen as the candidate of the party establishment. She won a first ballot victory by one vote, with 431 votes. The minimum number of votes needed to win on the first round of voting was 430.
The victory made Rana Bokhari the youngest person ever to lead the Manitoba Liberals and the first Manitoban of South Asian descent to lead a political party in the province.
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