Wellington lawyer Charles Chauvel missed becoming the country's sixth openly LGBT MP in this year's general election by only a fraction of the party vote, but he says he'll be back again in 2008. Although Labour increased its support in the special votes, the increase was not enough to give them a 51st seat, which would have been Chauvel's. Chauvel stood in the Wellington electorate of Ohariu-Belmont, home of United Future leader Peter Dunne. "I was really pleased with the results that we got in Ohariu-Belmont, we got the party and electorate vote up quite a bit," he told GayNZ.com. "Particuarly given Peter Dunne's stance on civil unions, he's in by no means a safe a seat as he was." Chauvel says he has every intention of standing in the electorate again in 2008 if selected.
Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff
First published: Thursday, 6th October 2005 - 12:00pm