/ 4 May 2007

Tied English council election decided on coin toss

An English municipal councillor held on to his seat after the election was decided by the toss of a coin, the BBC reported on Friday.

Christopher Underwood-Frost tied with Liberal Democrat John Birkenshaw after each polled 781 votes for the ward of West Lindsey district in Lincolnshire, eastern England.

Despite winning, the Conservative Party candidate said he did not think an election should be decided on the toss of a coin.

“We did ask whether we between ourselves could agree to disagree with the toss of a coin … but the law’s the law, and the law needs to be changed in my view,” he was quoted as saying.

“Here I am re-selected by a way that I don’t think anybody would agree with, but that’s the law.”

About 10 500 seats were contested for 312 English councils on Thursday. Polls were also held for Scotland’s 32 councils, plus the Welsh Assembly and Scottish Parliament. — AFP