Lalor Ward (Whittlesea) by-election, 2025
- Leonardo Puglisi
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
Updated: 4 hours ago
A by-election will take place to fill one vacancy on Whittlesea City Council.
Key details
Where: Lalor Ward (Whittlesea City Council) in Victoria
Why: Voiding of election results over suspected fraud
Electoral system: Full preferential voting and compulsory voting
Date: The official by-election date is 2 August, but voting will take place via post from mid-July until 1 August
History and past results
Lalor was created for the 2024 local elections as part of the switch to single-member wards across metropolitan councils.
Stevan Kozmevski, who was first elected in 1997 as a Labor councillor, was narrowly elected with 50.2% of the two-candidate-preferred vote over independent Ellen McNaught.
The Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC) raised concerns last year over "suspected fraudulently completed ballots". According to The Sydney Morning Herald, "the first preferences on the stolen votes were allocated to Nicholas Hajichristou", who ran as a candidate for the "Community Independents" group led by Aidan McLindon and had 27.2% of first preference votes. The VEC does not suggest Kozmevski or any other candidate was involved in the fraud. 6 News also makes no suggestion that any candidate at the 2024 local elections were involved.
Candidates
Kozmevski and McNaught are both recontesting. 2024 Mernda Ward candidate William Sharp is one of several new independents to put their hand up, joined by 2024 North Ward Labor-endorsed candidate Mary Krassos.
Listed in ballot paper order:
Rex Nicholson (Independent)
Victoria Edge (Independent)
Michael Labrador (Independent)
Mary Krassos (Independent)
Belinda Stojcevski (Independent)
William Sharp (Independent)
Omar Hassan (Victorian Socialists)
Samu Uprety (Independent)
Ellen McNaught (Independent)
Burhanuddin Mohammed (Independent)
Stevan Kozmevski (Labor)
Analysis
Given the narrow 2CP, it's hard to pick an obvious favourite to win the by-election, especially as the 27.2% of the vote that Hajichristou had is far from an insignificant amount.
Whittlesea has been the subject of significant attention in recent months, with mayor Aidan McLindon suspended in April for a period of six months "to protect the health and safety of the councillors and staff".
Independents effectively control the council, with five elected in 2024, plus two members of the McLindon Community Independents group (McLindon himself in Kirrip Ward and Nicholas Brooks in Thomastown Ward) making it seven non-party-endorsed councillors and six votes needed for a majority. Labor hold the remaining four seats.