National moves to restore coalition

Press, 24 July 1987, Page 4

National moves to restore coalition

NZPA-AAP Canberra The National Party yesterday elected a pro-coali-tion leadership and decided to start negotiations with the Liberals to heal the split that helped the two parties lose the Federal election. The re-elected National leader, Mr lan Sinclair, said the decision to start talks was unanimous, but refused to say if the party was unanimously in favour of actually returning to coalition.

Although Mr Sinclair spoke optimistically about restoring the coalition, there were indications the process faced difficulties. The Liberal leader, Mr John Howard, made it clear he was in no hurry and one National member said there was opposition within his party’s ranks. At its first meeting since the election, the party re-elected Mr Sinclair and chose the Victorian, Mr Bruce Lloyd, aged 50, as deputy from a field of eight. It then spent several hours discussing its attitude to the coalition. The party released no . details

of the leadership ballots. But party sources said Mr Sinclair comfortably defeated the Queenslander, Mr Ray Braithwaite and, after the other candidates had been excluded, Mr Lloyd had a margin of about five votes over former Treasury head and Queensland Senator-

elect,-~Mr John Stone, for the deputy’s position.

Mr Stone is expected to | win the position of Senate leader, but a ballot will ft not be held until all Sen- S ate positions are finalised. £ The coalition collapsed ’ • last April when the Queensland division of the «| party directed its mem- ;' bers to withdraw. '• W

Negotiations between ?'■ the leaders of the two . parties at the Victorian ,: town of Lilydale produced ' a written agreement* ? which would have lsoHHd; <?f the Queensland NatldmW’ But Mr Sinclair wasflhfeW'J able to gain the approv|w?m of his party for the agree- v ment. •’r-WS Mr Sinclair told a news-W conference a commitment a® to enter negotiations was

all he had sought at yesterday’s meeting.