| Election Name: | 2003 Northwest Territories general election |
| Country: | Northwest Territories |
| Type: | parliamentary |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1999 Northwest Territories general election |
| Previous Year: | 1999 |
| Previous Mps: | 13th Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly |
| Election Date: | November 24, 2003 |
| Elected Mps: | 15th Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly |
| Next Election: | 2007 Northwest Territories general election |
| Next Year: | 2007 |
| Seats For Election: | 19 seats in the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories |
| Premier | |
| Before Election: | Stephen Kakfwi |
| Posttitle: | Premier after election |
| After Election: | Joe Handley |
The 2003 Northwest Territories general election was held on November 24, 2003, to elect the 19 members of the Legislative Assembly.
The election was called on October 27. Premier Stephen Kakfwi had previously chosen not to run.
The territory operates on a consensus government system with no political parties; the premier is subsequently chosen by and from the Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs). There were 21,474 registered voters at the time of the election.
Issues at the election included:
Elections were held in 14 of the 19 electoral districts. The following five districts acclaimed their MLA:
The following is a list of the districts with their winning candidates.
| District | Elected | Percentage | Other candidates | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 51.04% | Michael Nadli | |||
| 62.96% | David W. Wind | |||
| 64.52% | Karen Hamre | |||
| 44.56% | Ann M. Lobb, Duncan McNeill, Harvey Werner | |||
| 54.53% | Ken Smith, Bobby Van Bridger, Clarence G. Wood | |||
| 49.53% | Bill Aho, Steve Petersen | |||
| 34.48% | Walter Blondin, Rita Cli, Yanny Leo Cordero, John Hazenberg, Arnold Hope, Shane A. Thompson, Kathy Tsetso | |||
| Henry Zoe | 42.27% | Nora P. Doig, Leon Lafferty | ||
| Nunakput | Calvin P. Pokiak | 52.5% | Vince Steen | |
| Range Lake | Sandy Lee | 80.56% | Francis H. Chang | |
| Sahtu | Norman Yakeleya | 45.59% | Lucy Jackson, Frank T'Seleie, Larry M. Tourangeau, Judi M. Tutcho | |
| Thebacha | Michael Miltenberger | 65.36% | Don Tourangeau | |
| Tu Nedhe | Bobby J. Villeneuve | 23.71% | Maurice E. Boucher, Felix Lockhart, James Marlowe, Steven Nitah, Robert Sayine, Wilfred M. Simon | |
| Yellowknife Centre | Robert Hawkins | 26.61% | Bob Haywood, Don Kindt, Annemieke Mulders, Lena Pedersen (Pederson), Daniel A. Wong, Liz Wyman |
Joe Handley was acclaimed premier by the legislature on December 10, 2003. His two prospective opponents, Roger Allen and Floyd Roland, had announced that they would not run against him.[1]
In an unusual occurrence, the riding of Inuvik Twin Lakes experienced 150% voter turnout. 356 people were registered to vote in that riding, but an additional 187 showed up at the ballot box. A resident of a riding eligible but not registered to vote may register on the spot by presenting a proof of residency. [2]