Taiping by-election, 1999

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← 1998 	31 July 1999 	2002 →
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The electorate of Taiping (LS) in the Enderronian Parliament 	The electorate of Taiping (LS) in the Enderronian Parliament 	The electorate of Taiping (LS) in the Enderronian Parliament
 	 	
 	 	
Candidate 	David Lui 	Eric Johnson
Party 	Social Democrats 	Conservative
Popular vote 	44,498 	25,994
Percentage 	46.75% 	27.31%
Swing 	6.74pp 	8.27pp
TPP 	54.28% 	45.72%
TPP swing 	6.13pp 	6.13pp
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MP before election 	MP before election 	Elected MP
Daniel S. KellyIndependentKelly had been elected as a member of the Conservative Party, but was expelled from the caucus in April 1999.	Daniel S. KellyIndependentKelly had been elected as a member of the Conservative Party, but was expelled from the caucus in April 1999.	David LuiSocial Democrats
The 1999 Taiping by-election was held on 31 July 1999 to elect the next Member of Parliament for the electorate of Taiping in the Enderronian Parliament. The by-election was triggered following the resignation of incumbent Conservative-turned-independent MP Daniel S. Kelly.
The by-election was won by Social Democratic Party candidate David Lui. The result was notable in that it was only the third by-election since Enderronian independence at which the government of the day won a seat from the opposition.
==Background==
Taiping was first contested at the 1990 federal election, and was considered a fairly safe seat for the Social Democrats. In its original incarnation, it included the right-leaning North Coast as well as the left-leaning outer western suburbs of Chung'an. The 1998 redistribution removed the Chung'an portion of the electorate, making Taiping far less safe for the Social Democrats, and it was lost to the Conservative Party at the 1998 election.
Daniel S. Kelly, the new Conservative MP for Taiping, admitted in April 1999 that he had probably received illegal donations in the 1998 election campaign. He was expelled from the Conservative Party caucus, and was referred to the Independent Commission Against Corruption, which heard evidence that his campaign had accepted illegal donations from local developers, which breached electoral funding laws. On 21 June, Kelly admitted he had lied to ICAC about returning several illicit donations, and resigned from parliament hours later.
==Candidates==
Candidates (5) in ballot paper order	Candidates (5) in ballot paper order	Candidates (5) in ballot paper order	Candidates (5) in ballot paper order
Party 	Party 	Candidate 	Background
width="1%" 	National 	John Layzell 	Agricultural scientist. Contested Taiping at the 1998 federal election.
 	Social Democrats 	David Lui 	Industrial lawyer.
 	Conservative 	Eric Johnson 	Former Darwin County councillor.
 	Greens 	Christine Vincent 	Environmental activist. Contested Taiping at the 1998 federal election.
 	Independent 	William Howarth 	Pastor.
==Results==
Taiping by-election, 1999 	Taiping by-election, 1999 	Taiping by-election, 1999 	Taiping by-election, 1999 	Taiping by-election, 1999 	Taiping by-election, 1999
Party 	Party 	Candidate 	Votes 	% 	±%
 	Social Democrats 	David Lui 	44,498 	46.75 	+6.74
 	Conservative 	Eric Johnson 	25,994 	27.31 	–8.27
 	National 	John Layzell 	14,877 	15.63 	+8.94
 	Independent 	William Howarth 	5,216 	5.48 	+5.48
 	Greens 	Christine Vincent 	4,597 	4.83 	+2.48
Total formal votes 	Total formal votes 	Total formal votes 	95,182 	97.45 	+2.23
Informal votes 	Informal votes 	Informal votes 	2,487 	2.55 	–2.23
Turnout 	Turnout 	Turnout 	97,669 	86.84 	–8.41
Two-party-preferred result	Two-party-preferred result 	Two-party-preferred result 	Two-party-preferred result	Two-party-preferred result	Two-party-preferred result
 	Social Democrats 	David Lui 	51,665 	54.28 	+6.13
 	Conservative 	Eric Johnson 	43,517 	45.72 	–6.13
 	Social Democrats gain from Conservative	Social Democrats gain from Conservative	Swing 	+6.13