Liberals name Khalil Karbani candidate for Calgary-Greenway byelection

The Alberta Liberals have secured theircandidate for the upcoming Calgary-Greenway byelection.

Commercial real estate developer and longtime president of the Taradale Community Association, Khalil Karbani, won the nomination against local peace activist Saima Jamal.

"I have always been involved in my community and wanting to make it a better place," Kharbani wrote in a Facebook post.

"The next step for me would be to be able to take a stronger role in this by running for local politics and represent and be accountable to my local constituents."

In 2013, Karbanialso received a Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal for volunteering and was involved in the development of the Genisis Centre in northeast Calgary.

More than 650 Liberal members cast their ballots Wednesday night from the Calgary-Greenway constituency, the party said in a press release.

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"The party had to move up the date by five days because of the political gamesmanship of the government," the Liberals said in a statement.

Several opposition parties have criticized the Notley government for calling the byelection too soon after the death of PC MLA Manmeet Bhullar, who previously held the seat.

Bhullar, 35, was killed in a highway collision in November.

On Tuesday, Premier Rachel Notley confirmed that Calgary-Greenway residents will go to the polls on March 22.

The NDP has already selected its candidate, Roop Rai, and the Green Party's candidate isThanaBoonlert.

The Wildrose Party plans to hold its nomination on Friday, rescheduled from an original meeting date of March 5. The PCs plan to hold a vote on the candidate selectionafter reversing a decision to namePrabhdeepGill earlier this week.