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11 March 2026 | |||||||||||||||||
Leadership election | |||||||||||||||||
18 caucus members of the National Party 10 caucus votes needed to win | |||||||||||||||||
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Deputy leadership election | |||||||||||||||||
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A leadership election was held on 11 March 2026 to elect the leader of the National Party of Australia. Senator Matt Canavan was elected, replacing David Littleproud. The election was held after the resignation of Littleproud from the leadership. A deputy leadership election was held concurrently, with Darren Chester being elected.
 | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding missing information. (March 2026) |
On 10 March 2026, David Littleproud resigned from the National Party's leadership. He said that the job had been "pretty rough", he also said that he has been a "punching bag". [1] During his tenure, the Coalition between the Liberal and National Parties broke up and reunited twice. [1]
Senator Matt Canavan and deputy leader Kevin Hogan have both expressed interest in running for leadership in this election. [1] Guardian Australia has speculated that the National Party's Senate leader Bridget McKenzie in addition to former leader and deputy prime minister Michael McCormack may join the leadership race. [2] In the party room, McCormack did not run for the leadership. [3]
Matt Canavan won the leadership election. Darren Chester was elected deputy leader to replace Kevin Hogan. [3]
