2005 Breeders' Cup Classic, Race Description
After breaking poorly, Saint Liam settled into fifth place behind a moderate early pace set by Sun King and Suave. Flower Alley stalked the early leaders then took command rounding the turn. Racing four wide, Saint Liam moved alongside Flower Alley at the top of the stretch and gradually pulled away, winning by a length. Perfect Drift closed late to finish third.


2005 Breeders' Cup Classic, Race Description
Saint Liam was the first major winner for trainer Rick Dutrow, who was highly emotional after the race. "I can't explain the feeling. He gives me a feeling I've never had before. I owe him everything. He is my boy. I see him every night before I go to bed. And I'm going to miss him so much. Words just can't describe this horse."


2005 Breeders' Cup Classic, Race Description
It was jockey Jerry Bailey's fifteenth win at the Breeders' Cup, then a record. Bailey felt that Saint Liam had cemented Horse of the Year honors with the win, pointing out how much ground Saint Liam had lost at the start due to his outside post position and a poor break that shifted his course even further outside. "He took the worse of it today, and still was very authoritative in winning."


2005 Breeders' Cup Classic, Results
Times: 1⁄4 – 0:23.98;  1⁄2 – 0:47.68; 3⁄4 – 1:12.23; mile – 1:36.87;  final – 2:01.49. Fractional Splits: (:23.98) (:23.70) (:24.55) (:24.64) (:24.62)


2005 Brickyard 400
The 2005 Allstate 400 at The Brickyard, the 12th running of the event, was a NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race held on August 7, 2005, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana. Contested at 160 laps on the 2.5 mile (4.023 km) speedway, it was the twenty-first race of the 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season. Tony Stewart of Joe Gibbs Racing won the race.


2005 Brickyard 400, Background
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, located in Speedway, Indiana, (an enclave suburb of Indianapolis) in the United States, is the home of the Indianapolis 500 and the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard. It is located on the corner of 16th Street and Georgetown Road, approximately six miles (10 km) west of Downtown Indianapolis. It is a four-turn rectangular-oval track that is 2.5 miles (4.023 km) long. The track's turns are banked at 9 degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, has no banking. The back stretch, opposite of the front, also has a zero degree banking. The racetrack has seats for more than 250,000 spectators.


2005 Brickyard 400, Qualifying
Failed to qualify: Kevin Lepage (#37), Tony Raines (#92), Mike Garvey (#66), Stuart Kirby (#51), Mike Wallace (#4), P. J. Jones (#34), Morgan Shepherd (#89), Kenny Wallace (#00), Jimmy Spencer (#50)


2005 Brickyard 400, Race recap
A late race crash by Jimmie Johnson, combined with the win by Stewart, put him into the Nextel Cup points lead. As part of the victory celebration, Tony Stewart went to turn two, where a fan handed him a can of Coca-Cola. Then upon returning to the frontstretch, Tony Stewart climbed the fence, along with the rest of his teammates. Kasey Kahne and Jeremy Mayfield finished 2nd and 4th for Evernham Motorsports. If Bill Elliott had finished in the top 10, all Evernham drivers would have finished in the top 10 for the first time that season.


2005 Brigham municipal election
The 2005 Brigham municipal election was held on November 6, 2005, to elect a mayor and councillors in Brigham, Quebec.


2005 Brigham municipal election, Results
Source: "Meet your new municipal councils," Sherbrooke Record, 8 November 2005, p. 7.


2005 Brisbane Broncos season
The 2005 Brisbane Broncos season was the eighteenth in the club's history, and they competed in the NRL's 2005 Telstra Premiership. Coached by Wayne Bennett and captained by Darren Lockyer, they finished the regular season 3rd (out of 15) despite ending the year with another long losing streak which continued into the play-offs and saw them knocked out once again.


2005 Brisbane Broncos season, Season summary
With Gorden Tallis' retirement at the end of the previous season, the Broncos' captaincy was passed onto star fullback-turned-5/8th Darren Lockyer. In round 1 of NRL season 2005 Lockyer led the Broncos out for the first time and won 29-16 against the North Queensland Cowboys, the team that knocked them out of the finals in their last match the previous year. Three weeks later, the Broncos suffered their worst defeat in the club's history with a 50-4 loss to the Melbourne Storm at Olympic Park.


2005 Brisbane Broncos season, Season summary
After this match, the Broncos won their next ten matches straight from round 5 to round 17 to lead the competition, only to lose their last five regular season game in a row from round 22 to round 26, finishing third heading into the finals. The losing streak extended into the finals with defeats in the Qualifying Final to the Melbourne Storm 24-18 and in the Semi Final to the Wests Tigers 34-6, sending them out of the competition and making it seven consecutive losses in and seven straight finals losses for the Broncos.


2005 Brisbane Broncos season, Season summary
At the end of the 2005 season, after five successive years without a grand final appearance, Bennett decided to have a cleanout of the coaching staff, removing such long-time allies as Gary Belcher, Glenn Lazarus and Kevin Walters.


2005 Brisbane Lions season
The Brisbane Lions' 2005 season was its ninth season in the Australian Football League (AFL).


2005 Brisbane bomb hoax
The 2005 Brisbane bomb hoax involved several bomb threats that were made to police in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia on 14 and 15 November 2005. The threats resulted in the halting of public transport services throughout the city.


2005 Brisbane bomb hoax, Threats
On 14 November 2005, three calls were made to police warning of bombs on buses and trains in Brisbane. All bus and train services in the city were evacuated at 12:00 pm and again at 4:45 pm. The shutdowns caused major problems for the thousands of people who relied on the services.


2005 Brisbane bomb hoax, Threats
At 7.32 am on 15 November, another call was made to police telling them to remain vigilant and "keep their eye on the ball." Each of the four calls had been made from different a payphone in suburban Brisbane.


2005 Brisbane bomb hoax, Aftermath
On the night of 15 November, Rodney Bruce Watson, a 46-year-old truck driver from Munruben, was arrested and charged with four counts of making bomb threats. Police reported that his fingerprints had been found on three of the four payphones used to make the bomb threats, although Watson's lawyer said Watson claimed he had not "been to a phone box in years."


2005 Brisbane bomb hoax, Aftermath
Watson appeared in the Brisbane Magistrates Court on 16 November. He did not enter a plea and made an application for bail. The bail hearing was adjourned, pending a psychiatric report on Watson, and he was remanded in custody. Watson reportedly said to police that he had been "inspired by the recent arrests of terrorist suspects in southern states," and he subsequently had two applications for bail denied on the basis that there was a risk that he would reoffend.


2005 Brisbane bomb hoax, Aftermath
On 7 March 2006, Watson pleaded guilty to four counts of making a bomb threat, and on 28 July was sentenced to three years in prison, to be suspended after 12 months, followed by a supervision period of three years. With time already served this meant Watson was released from prison in November 2006.


2005 Bristol City Council election
The 2005 Bristol City Council election took place on 5 May 2005, on the same day as other local elections. The Liberal Democrats made a number of gains and became the largest party on the Council, but failed to gain enough seats to form an overall majority.


2005 Brit Awards
The 2005 Brit Awards were the 25th edition of the biggest annual pop music awards in the United Kingdom. A Special BRITs 25 Award for the best single from the past 25 years was awarded to Robbie Williams "Angels". The show attracted 6.32 million viewers.


2005 Brit Awards
The producers added a fake film effect to the TV coverage of the 2005 awards show, which was criticised by some who thought ruined the immediacy of the awards show, and was dizzying when combined with fast camera movements.


2005 Brit Awards
The host was Chris Evans and the venue for the event was Earls Court.


2005 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand
In 2005, the British & Irish Lions rugby union team toured New Zealand for the first time since 1993, playing seven matches against first and second division teams from the National Provincial Championship, one match against the New Zealand Maori team, and three test matches against New Zealand (the All Blacks). The Lions lost the test series 3-0, the first time in 22 years that they lost every test match on tour.


2005 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand
The team was managed by former England and Lions player Bill Beaumont, coached by former England coach Sir Clive Woodward, and originally captained by Ireland captain Brian O'Driscoll. O'Driscoll suffered a controversial tour-ending injury two minutes into the first test, and Wales captain Gareth Thomas took over as captain for the final four games of the tour.


2005 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand
The poor test results of the 2005 Lions, despite having one of the most experienced playing squads and the largest management team of any Lions tour, led to criticism of Woodward, particularly his selection policy, and prompted commentators to question the future of the Lions.


2005 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand
This tour followed the Lions' 2001 tour to Australia and preceded the 2009 tour to South Africa.


2005 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand, Schedule
The Lions' campaign involved a warm-up match against Argentina (which was retroactively awarded Test status by the International Rugby Board in March 2008) before the departure for New Zealand, three Tests against the All Blacks, and several tour matches, where the quality of the opposition was expected to be high. This proved to be the case against New Zealand Māori and Auckland, and most of the other tour matches were close for at least the first half. But the match against Manawatu (the Lions' only opponent from the second division of New Zealand's domestic league, the National Provincial Championship) was a one-sided affair, the Lions winning by a score of 109–6.


2005 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand, Squad
The 44-man tour squad was announced on 11 April 2005, with 20 Englishmen, 11 Irishmen, 10 Welshmen and three Scots selected. Three further Englishmen were selected subject to them proving their fitness. The squad also included English players who had retired from international rugby (Neil Back, Lawrence Dallaglio), were returning from injury (Richard Hill and potentially Jonny Wilkinson, Phil Vickery and Mike Tindall), or had no international experience (Andrew Sheridan). The original 44-man squad was named as:


2005 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand, Squad, Additions to the squad
Injured England players Jonny Wilkinson, Phil Vickery and Mike Tindall were pencilled in, to be added to the squad subject to them regaining fitness. Only Wilkinson subsequently did so and was called up on 8 May. Iain Balshaw suffered a torn thigh muscle and was replaced in the squad by Mark Cueto on 17 May.


2005 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand, Squad, Additions to the squad
Additional players were called up when players suffered injury (and in one case a ban) during the tour proper:


2005 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand, Squad, Additions to the squad
Three players did not travel to New Zealand with the bulk of the touring party. Jason Robinson was excused to spend time with his pregnant wife. Stephen Jones and Gareth Thomas were forced to delay their departures due to commitments to their French clubs. Jones arrived in New Zealand on 31 May, before the Lions played their first tour match, while Robinson arrived on 7 June. For a time, it was doubtful whether Thomas would be able to contend for a spot in the first Test, as he had not been released by his club, Toulouse. However, Toulouse lost in the Top 14 semi-finals, allowing Thomas to leave for New Zealand. Thomas also arrived in New Zealand on 7 June. Thomas later replaced Brian O'Driscoll as tour captain after O'Driscoll suffered a dislocated shoulder.


2005 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand, Management
There were 26 staff. For the first time, there was a separate group of coaches for the midweek games.


2005 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand, Matches, Argentina
The Lions played Argentina in a warm-up Test match at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on 23 May. The Pumas were without 25 players who may have made their first-choice team due to club commitments and the Lions rested many of their top players to field a second-string line-up. Tour captain Brian O'Driscoll was rested, so Wales vice-captain Michael Owen took his place.


2005 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand, Matches, Argentina
The Lions looked disjointed, turning the ball over 15 times in open play. Their pack was outplayed; the Pumas shoved them off their own scrum three times. The Lions also conceded five penalties for holding on to the ball while grounded, usually because their support failed to arrive in time. In the meantime, the Pumas played a match that was almost universally called "inspired" by rugby media worldwide. The Pumas led 19–16 at half-time, and could easily have been ahead by more.


2005 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand, Matches, Argentina
The main plus for the Lions was the performance of Jonny Wilkinson, making his first appearance against international opposition since the 2003 Rugby World Cup Final; Wilkinson set up the Lions' first try, converted it and kicked six penalties. His last penalty saved the Lions from defeat, salvaging a 25–25 draw in the eighth minute of stoppage time. The match was granted full test status by the IRB in 2006.


2005 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand, Matches, Bay of Plenty Steamers
The first tour match was against the Bay of Plenty Steamers on 4 June in Rotorua. The Lions started the match strongly, with Josh Lewsey scoring a try after two minutes and then a second four minutes later. The Lions were up 17–0 after 11 minutes, but the Steamers recovered for a 17–17 half-time score. The Lions controlled the second half and won 34–20. A significant injury was the fractured ankle suffered by experienced back-rower Lawrence Dallaglio, who had to withdraw from the tour.


2005 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand, Matches, Taranaki
Taranaki hosted the Lions at New Plymouth on 8 June. The first half was closely fought in more ways than one, as the Lions' Danny Grewcock and Taranaki's Paul Tito came to blows. The Amber-and-Blacks had a 7–6 lead at half-time, but soon after the break Martin Corry scored a try for the Lions. Shortly afterwards, Taranaki's Andrew Hore was sin-binned for holding the ball, and the Lions took control. Consensus man of the match Charlie Hodgson kicked two penalties during Hore's absence, and the Lions kept their momentum even after Hore returned. Shane Horgan added a try and Geordan Murphy two as the Lions won 36–14.


2005 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand, Matches, New Zealand Māori
The match against the New Zealand Māori at Hamilton on 11 June promised to be the most competitive test lead-up, being billed by rugby media as virtually a fourth test. In the first half, the Māori had the better of possession and tackling, but the Lions had the better of the set-pieces, and the half ended 6–6.


2005 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand, Matches, New Zealand Māori
Just before the break, Lions prop Andrew Sheridan was sin-binned for punching Māori fly-half Luke McAlister. When the sin-bin period ended, Sheridan was replaced by Gethin Jenkins. A McAlister penalty shortly afterwards, a Leon MacDonald try (converted by McAlister) and then a second McAlister penalty gave the Maori a 19–6 lead. The last 15 minutes were the Lions' best period, rewarded by a Brian O'Driscoll try, which was converted by Stephen Jones. The Lions threatened strongly, but the Māori, inspired by their replacement fly-half Carlos Spencer and stalwart captain Jono Gibbes held on for an historic 19–13 win – their first ever over the Lions.


2005 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand, Matches, Wellington Lions
After the loss to the Māori, the Lions went to Wellington to take on the city's NPC side, the Wellington Lions, on 15 June. The British & Irish Lions team was selected primarily from players in contention for the Test team, including Jonny Wilkinson in his first tour match.


2005 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand, Matches, Wellington Lions
The British & Irish Lions had most of the possession and scoring chances, but committed numerous unforced errors when points looked likely. Tries came from Gethin Jenkins and Gareth Thomas, both converted by Wilkinson, who also scored three penalties. The British & Irish Lions' 23–6 win, while seemingly showing their tour was back on track, left almost as many questions as answers. In post-match comments, O'Driscoll said, "The ball was like a bar of soap out there and both sides made a lot of unforced errors." Wellington Lions coach John Plumtree remarked, "The All Blacks would have put 50 or 60 points on us."


2005 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand, Matches, Otago
In their first appearance in the South Island, the Lions played Otago on 18 June at Carisbrook in Dunedin. The stadium is known to visiting teams as the "House of Pain", particularly for the Lions, who had lost games to the Otago side on four previous tours.


2005 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand, Matches, Otago
Otago began strongly and the Lions were penalised four times in the first 11 minutes, Otago converting two. The Lions' stronger scrum play brought them back into the game, and the first half was closely fought, ending 13–13. The Lions clearly had the momentum, as Will Greenwood scored a try, converted by Charlie Hodgson, just before the break.


2005 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand, Matches, Otago
Otago took a 16–13 lead shortly after half-time, but strong Lions scrum play led to a try by man of the match Ryan Jones, who put himself in contention for a Test position. The try and Hodgson's conversion gave the Lions a solid, though far from insurmountable, lead. Otago rallied to 20–19 with a penalty, but the Lions pulled away soon afterwards. A Hodgson penalty and a try from Shane Williams converted by Hodgson took the final margin to 30–19.


2005 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand, Matches, Southland Stags
The Southland match at Invercargill on 21 June was the last before the first Test. Lions coach Clive Woodward announced that no players in the night's line-up would play in the Test.


2005 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand, Matches, Southland Stags
In the first 15 minutes, the Lions looked formidable as they took an early 10–0 lead over the Stags, keyed by a Gavin Henson try. However, they became disjointed and by half-time had turned over the ball 14 times and were considered lucky to be ahead 10–3 at the break.


2005 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand, Matches, Southland Stags
The first few minutes of the second half were even worse for the Lions, as Hale T-Pole scored a converted try. Woodward immediately substituted four players to settle down his team. T-Pole made an interception to save a Mark Cueto try, but the Lions kept the pressure on, and Henson scored his second try. The Lions then changed tactics, choosing to kick for territory more often, and were never truly threatened again, winning by 26–16.


2005 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand, Matches, First Test
Less than two minutes into the first test, the Lions lost their captain Brian O'Driscoll, who suffered a dislocated shoulder after a joint tackle by New Zealand captain Tana Umaga and hooker Keven Mealamu. At a ruck, they attempted to clear O'Driscoll by each lifting one of his legs before driving him into the ground. O'Driscoll twisted his body as he came down to avoid landing on his head, but that meant most of the force went through his shoulder, which was dislocated, ending his tour.


2005 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand, Matches, First Test
Opinions differed on the incident; the Lions staff and many British and Irish commentators believed that it was an illegal spear tackle, and Lions coach Woodward reported the pair to the IRB's citing commissioner, William Venter. Venter decided, based on the video footage available, not to refer the matter to a disciplinary tribunal. New Zealand commentators largely took the view that the two All Blacks were just clearing out the ruck and had no intention to injure O'Driscoll. Referee Joël Jutge admitted in 2017 that he should have shown at least one red card to Umaga and Mealamu for the tackle.


2005 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand, Matches, First Test
Eight minutes into the game, Dan Carter opened the scoring for the All Blacks with a penalty. Three minutes later, the Lions suffered a further blow when Paul O'Connell was sin-binned for a professional foul, and Carter kicked the penalty. Already a player short, the Lions then lost Richard Hill to injury. Ali Williams scored the first New Zealand try shortly after O'Connell returned, and the half ended with the Lions down 11–0.


2005 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand, Matches, First Test
Carter kicked a penalty in the second half, followed by a converted try from Sitiveni Sivivatu to end the All Blacks' scoring, and Jonny Wilkinson kicked a penalty in the 56th minute to provide the Lions with their only points of the night. The 21–3 win was considered by almost every commentator to be even more one-sided than the score indicated. The Lions' sloppy set-piece play included ten losses of their own line-outs.


2005 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand, Matches, First Test
It was announced after the match that, in addition to O'Driscoll, two more injured Lions were out for the rest of the tour – Hill from the incident during the match, and Tom Shanklin for inflammation from an existing knee injury. Danny Grewcock was also suspended for two months after he was cited for biting All Blacks hooker Keven Mealamu.


2005 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand, Matches, Manawatu Turbos
The Lions scored their first convincing tour victory in this game at Palmerston North against NPC second division side Manawatu Turbos, winning 109–6. They led 38–6 at half time and scored 71 unanswered points in the second. Welshman Shane Williams scored five tries to help the Lions post their all-time record score in New Zealand, surpassing their 64–5 victory over Marlborough/Nelson 46 years earlier.


2005 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand, Matches, Manawatu Turbos
In addition to Williams' five, the Lions' tries were scored by Ronan O'Gara (2), Mark Cueto (2), Geordan Murphy, Charlie Hodgson, Jason Robinson, Martin Corry, Neil Back, Gareth Cooper, Gordon D'Arcy and Ollie Smith, with Manawatu restricted to two Jonathan Hargreaves penalties. Lock Donncha O'Callaghan and flanker Martyn Williams were substituted at half-time but had impressed enough to secure Test selection for the following Saturday. Murphy also impressed at full-back, but it was Shane Williams, with elusive running and awareness, who most thrilled Lions supporters.


2005 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand, Matches, Second Test
From the high point against Manawatu, the Lions fell to a low in the second Test at Wellington Regional Stadium in Wellington on 2 July, losing 48–18 and conceding the highest number of points against a New Zealand team in a Test. Woodward selected a radically different Test squad from the one that had been embarrassed in Christchurch a week earlier, replacing eleven players. Key to the Lions' hopes of staying in the series was Woodward's decision to add several of the Welsh team that won the Grand Slam in the 2005 Six Nations.


2005 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand, Matches, Second Test
The Lions started strongly, with captain Gareth Thomas scoring a try under the posts and Jonny Wilkinson converting two minutes in. A minute later, Wilkinson hit the post with a penalty attempt, but gathering the rebound the Lions were in a good attacking position when Paul O'Connell was penalised for diving over a ruck. The All Blacks settled down and then scored through two Dan Carter penalties before he set up their first try, racing 50 metres off a turnover before offloading to captain Tana Umaga to score near the posts.


2005 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand, Matches, Second Test
Although the rest of the half remained close, the All Blacks went into the break with a 21–13 lead. The second half turned into a showcase for New Zealand in general and Carter in particular. He scored two tries, converted three, kicked two penalties, and constantly kept the Lions on the back foot with his distribution. Flanker Richie McCaw powered his way over for a try after Carter missed a hat trick by a matter of inches. Rugby media were in virtually unanimous agreement that the Lions were greatly improved and that the All Blacks were dominant. Carter's tally of 33 points broke the all-time record for points by an All Black against the Lions.


2005 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand, Matches, Auckland
Having lost the Test series on the previous Saturday, the midweek Lions came to Eden Park with something to prove. The match was marked by the Lions' inability to find touch and Auckland's willingness to attack and run the angles. Auckland gave up some guaranteed points from early penalties to take the Lions on in set piece play. Auckland tighthead prop John Afoa was denied a try after a tap and run saw him held up in goal.


2005 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand, Matches, Auckland
A series of handling errors throughout the first half let Auckland down and saw the Lions to a 14–3 lead at the half. The second half saw the Lions give away points to a stoic Auckland pack and the scoreline was narrowed to 14–13 Lions lead. A late Ronan O'Gara penalty saw the Lions extend to a 4-point winning margin of 17–13. This victory completed an impressive clean sweep of matches for the midweek Lions against host unions throughout New Zealand.


2005 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand, Matches, Third Test
Following two early penalties by Stephen Jones, the Lions led 6–0 and things looked promising for them. All Black captain Tana Umaga was sin-binned for killing the ball, but even without their captain, the All Blacks managed to score two tries, by Conrad Smith and Ali Williams, both converted by Luke McAlister. The Lions were awarded two more penalties, which Stephen Jones kicked, but just before the break, Umaga scored a try to give the All Blacks a half-time lead of 24–12.


2005 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand, Matches, Third Test
Seven minutes into the second half Umaga scored another try. Soon after, scrum-half Byron Kelleher was replaced by Justin Marshall, who then played his final half-hour of All Black rugby. Another All Black try was thwarted when Jerry Collins was sin-binned for a late tackle. The All Blacks then spent several minutes defending as the Lions pushed towards the line from within ten meters, and after a long struggle Lewis Moody managed to score, making it 31–19. Both sides made errors that cost them tries. Sitiveni Sivivatu had two very close calls but it was Rico Gear who followed his own deep kick to toe the ball over the line and score a fine individual try. McAlister converted, giving him a 100 percent kicking rate, to make the full-time score 38–19.


2005 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand, Lions anthem
Sir Clive Woodward commissioned an anthem, The Power of Four, specially for the 2005 tour. Neil Myers composed the tune, and the piece was performed for the first time in public by Welsh opera singer Katherine Jenkins before the Lions' match against Argentina at the Millennium Stadium in 2005. It was played before all games on the tour, but was not used in the Lions tour to South Africa in 2009.


2005 British Academy Television Awards
The 2005 British Academy Television Awards were held on Sunday 17 April at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in London. The ceremony was hosted by Irish comedian and television presenter Graham Norton.


2005 British Academy Television Craft Awards
The British Academy Television Craft Awards of 2005 are presented by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) and were held on 8 May 2005 at The Dorchester, Mayfair, the ceremony was hosted by Jon Culshaw.


2005 British Columbia electoral reform referendum
A referendum was held in the Canadian province of British Columbia on May 17, 2005, to determine whether or not to adopt the recommendation of the Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform to replace the existing first-past-the-post electoral system (FPTP) with a single transferable vote system (BC-STV). It was held in conjunction with the BC Legislative Assembly election of 2005. Voters were given two ballots at that time: a ballot to vote for a Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia (MLA) in their constituency and a referendum ballot. The referendum received considerable support from the electorate but failed in meeting the demanding threshold that had been set. A second referendum was held in 2009.


2005 British Columbia electoral reform referendum, Background
The first half of the 2000s was marked by a growing movement in favour of electoral reform in Canada. Liberals in British Columbia, Quebec and Ontario campaigned successfully in each of these provinces with commitments to electoral reform. A reform initiative was launched as well in PEI, as well, in response to a series of lopsided elections in that province. In 2004, the Law Commission of Canada published an influential , with a strong recommendation in favour of Mixed Member Proportionality (MMP).


2005 British Columbia electoral reform referendum, Background
In British Columbia, impetus was created by the anomalous provincial election result in 1996, in which the NDP won reelection as a majority government with 39.5% of the vote and 39 seats, despite gaining 3% fewer votes than the Liberals at 41.8% of the total and 33 seats. The balance of the vote was picked up by the Reform Party, which won 9.3% of the vote (two seats) and the Progressive Democrats with 5.7% of the vote (one seat), representing a perfect example of vote-splitting by conservative and liberal parties leading the NDP to majority status. There followed another lopsided election in 2001, in which the Liberals won 77 out of 79 seats, virtually wiping out the opposition, with 57% of the vote.


2005 British Columbia electoral reform referendum, Background
According to Pilon, "British Columbia has had a long dalliance with voting reform initiatives" municipally and provincially since the 1930s, coinciding with the emergence of left wing forces capable of splitting the vote and going "up the middle" to take power —in the way that the NDP won the 1996 election. In his view, this is what led the Liberals to take up voting system reform at the provincial level in the late 1990s.


2005 British Columbia electoral reform referendum, Background
The Liberal government of Premier Gordon Campbell had campaigned in favour of electoral reform in 2001, and was under pressure to deliver. Following the Liberal victory in the 2001, the Liberals faced the political dilemma of having campaigned on an issue that no longer interested them in the same way. Meanwhile, the Green party attempted to use the provincial initiative referendum process to force the issue, and although they were unsuccessful, this kept the issue alive. In 2003, the Liberal government, with the agreement of the opposition New Democratic Party, established a Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform, mandating it to propose a new electoral system that would subsequently be put to a referendum.


2005 British Columbia electoral reform referendum, Timeline of Citizen's Assembly process
The following indicates some of the key events leading up to the referendum:


2005 British Columbia electoral reform referendum, Proposed changes to the electoral system
The current electoral system in BC is Single Member Plurality, otherwise known as First Past The Post (FPTP). In this system, a voter gives one vote to one candidate in one electoral district. Each political party runs one candidate in each electoral district. The candidate with the most votes in the electoral district wins and is charged with representing all voters in the electoral district.


2005 British Columbia electoral reform referendum, Proposed changes to the electoral system
The proposed electoral system is a customised version of Single Transferable Vote (STV) called BC-STV. In this system, each electoral district would have between 2 and 7 seats depending on its population and geographic size, and electors would vote for district representatives. Although each elector would have only one vote, as the expression STV indicates, the ballot would allow electors to rank their preferences. The STV model proposed by the Assembly avoided the use of party lists, which they felt would be unpopular with British Columbians. Instead, voters would choose among candidates by name and when ranking candidates, could choose candidates from different parties, thus retaining the maximum amount of freedom in choosing whom to elect.


2005 British Columbia electoral reform referendum, Proposed changes to the electoral system
Having multiple seats in one district would allow those seats to be allocated in a way that reflects the distribution of votes among the electorate candidates in a roughly proportional way. Political parties may nominate as many candidates in an electoral district as there are available seats, or might prefer to concentrate their efforts on a smaller number of candidates. Major parties will typically nominate more candidates than minor parties, as they will be hopeful of electing a larger number of MLAs. Candidates would be grouped by political party in separate columns on the ballot paper.


2005 British Columbia electoral reform referendum, Proposed changes to the electoral system
To establish the winners, a quota for the district would be determined based on the number of valid ballots cast and the number of seats available in the district. All the votes would be  counted and sorted by the voters' first preferences. Those candidates with enough first-preference votes to meet or exceed the quota are elected. A multiple-step vote counting and transfer process is then used to determine the winners of the remaining seats in the district, based on voters' secondary preferences. Although the mechanics of the vote-transfer process can be complicated, the general principle is that all votes should count, so that if a candidate is not elected, or has more votes than needed to be elected, the votes in question will be transferred to another candidate based on secondary preferences.


2005 British Columbia electoral reform referendum, Question and thresholds
The question asked was: Should British Columbia change to the BC-STV electoral system as recommended by the Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform?


2005 British Columbia electoral reform referendum, Question and thresholds
Although according to Pilon, there was no compelling legal or historical precedent for doing so, the Electoral Reform Referendum Act established two super-majority thresholds for the referendum results to be binding on government:


2005 British Columbia electoral reform referendum, The campaign
Although the Citizen's Assembly had come to a remarkable degree of consensus in favour of BC-STV after months of study and deliberation, there is an important  distinction to be made between such a consultative process and a general referendum in which there is much less opportunity for learning and deliberation by ordinary voters and where political interests are more likely to come into play. As LeDuc et al. point out, "Deliberative democracy and direct democracy are different processes, and the dynamic of a referendum campaign will typically be quite different than that of a deliberative body."


2005 British Columbia electoral reform referendum, The campaign
The referendum campaign started with the Citizen's Assembly's announcement of its conclusions in late October 2004. This was followed by an initial flush of media coverage, including a favorable op. ed. by the influential Gordon Gibson in the Globe and Mail. However, other Globe and Mail coverage was much less favourable, and indeed dismissive. Provincial media seemed more sympathetic, drawing attention to the work of the Citizen's Assembly. Some high-profile media and columnists eventually endorsed the STV proposal, based on the case put forward by the Citizen's Assembly but many others remained opposed.


2005 British Columbia electoral reform referendum, The campaign
Public efforts to educate the public about the referendum were under the responsibility of Elections BC and the BC government. In order to protect the neutrality of its role, Elections BC did not provide information on the Citizens' Assembly proposal in comparison to the FPTP system. Its role was to ensure that voters had information on voter registration opportunities and information on the administration of the referendum. This left responsibility for promoting awareness and understanding of the two electoral systems to the government.


2005 British Columbia electoral reform referendum, The campaign
In March 2005, the government established a Referendum Information Office with a mandate to provide voters with information to make an informed choice on the referendum question. The Referendum Information Office created a website and fact sheets, mailed a brochure to every residential household in the province, and established a toll-free information line (: 36).


2005 British Columbia electoral reform referendum, The campaign
Poll results about the extent of voter knowledge about the referendum suggest that these efforts were ineffective (see the section on Voter polls and surveys, below). An unfortunate hiccup flagged by ) is that the brochures distributed to each household by the Referendum Information Office resembled newspaper advertising inserts and were likely discarded unopened by most voters.


2005 British Columbia electoral reform referendum, The campaign
However, the onus of informing the public did not rest exclusively on public organizations. As noted, the media also played a role, and aside from expressing their own views or those of their columnists, they also provided a space for advocates on both sides to express their views (: 79).


2005 British Columbia electoral reform referendum, The campaign
Legislation regulating the referendum process did not establish a formal role for "Yes/No" groups but required advertising sponsors to register, include identification statements on all advertising and submit financial reports following the referendum. No spending limits were imposed on referendum advertising sponsors" (Elections BC 2005: 36). Two groups did form in an attempt to fill the information gap and influence the outcome. In support of the STV proposal was a group called YES-STV led organizationally by a local advocacy group called Fair Voting BC. It included members of the former Citizen's Assembly, activists from Fair Vote Canada and a number of academics and celebrity supporters. The No side, calling itself KNOW-STV included a few former politicians, backroom operatives from the Liberal and NDP parties, and two former members of the Citizen's Assembly (: 78).


2005 British Columbia electoral reform referendum, The campaign
Remarkably, as Pilon elaborates (: 78-79), none of the major parties came out formally in support of the proposed reforms. Even Green Party leader Adrienne Carr expressed a preference for a different version of proportional representation than STV, although many Green candidates ignored their leader and openly supported the Citizen's Assembly proposal. The NDP and its leader Carole James were also critical of the proposed STV model while refusing to make it a campaign issue.


2005 British Columbia electoral reform referendum, The campaign
Even though the BC NDP had committed to adopt proportional representation in 1999, they claimed to prefer a different model and the party was deeply split on the issue in general. As for the Liberals, Premier Campbell remained neutral but as a party, the Liberals were largely opposed to electoral reform. Indeed, the government imposition of a supermajority requirement for the referendum to be binding was widely seen as a concession to members of the Liberal caucus opposed to reform. Voters seeking guidance from the parties on how to vote in the referendum were thus left without very much direction.


2005 British Columbia electoral reform referendum, Voter polls and surveys
Voter polls and surveys conducted prior to the referendum dealt with the degree of voter awareness and knowledge about the referendum as well as voter intentions.


2005 British Columbia electoral reform referendum, Voter polls and surveys
On the former subject, various surveys pointed to low levels of awareness that did not seem to improve significantly as the referendum approached. ) cites the following results:


2005 British Columbia electoral reform referendum, Voter polls and surveys
As Pilon concludes, "the public seemed only vaguely aware of the referendum and poorly informed of what was at stake in making their decision" (ibid. ).


2005 British Columbia electoral reform referendum, Voter polls and surveys
Meanwhile, surveys on voter intentions such as the following showed rising support for the referendum over time, and some decline in the share of undecided voters.


2005 British Columbia electoral reform referendum, Voter polls and surveys
By the time of the above Ipso-Reid survey results announced on the eve of the referendum, the referendum seemed destined to secure majority support and might even pass the 60% threshold. Much would depend on how voters would swing at the last moment on an important issue about which most of them felt ill-informed.


2005 British Columbia electoral reform referendum, Results
The final result of the referendum was favourable to the proposed reform, which was supported by 57.7% of the electorate, vs. 42.3% voting against it. A majority of pro-reform votes was obtained in 77 out of 79 districts. The following table provides the details.


2005 British Columbia electoral reform referendum, Results
Although the proposal failed to meet the thresholds established for the reform to be binding, the result was very close. The threshold requiring majority support in at least 60% of districts was easily met, with 97% of districts satisfying this criterion, and the overall popular vote was just 2.3% shy of the threshold.


2005 British Columbia electoral reform referendum, Analysis
The unexpectedly high popularity of the voting reform surprised many. Although polls conducted in April and May indicated more support for the proposal than against it, the number of undecided voters remained high, and there was an expectation that "a bewildered public would simply vote it down on election day" as can typically happen (: 80). Yet despite this, the measure gained a 57.7% approval in the province on voting day.


2005 British Columbia electoral reform referendum, Analysis
That the public was poorly informed right up to the date of the referendum is certain. Post-referendum research and analysis pointed to the ineffectiveness of public education efforts, of the YES-STV and KNOW-STV campaigns, and of the media to act as "effective grassroots indicators" (: 81). Meanwhile, the referendum campaign received limited media attention, as both major parties were officially neutral on the proposed change. Just days before the referendum, two thirds of British Columbians admitted to knowing "nothing/very little" about the proposed STV system (: 77 and 79).


2005 British Columbia electoral reform referendum, Analysis
However they were strongly inclined towards proportionality, choice among multiple parties, and even coalition governments. Post-election analysis confirmed that most people knew little about the details of STV. Better informed voters did tend to vote in support of the proposal, but other supporters of the proposal seemed to rely on a positive appreciation and respect for the work of the Citizen's Assembly. Positive appreciation of the Citizen's Assembly thus appears to have been an important factor in the level of approval that was achieved, and the Assembly members played a role in this, by calling attention to the role of the Assembly in drafting the referendum question.


2005 British Columbia electoral reform referendum, Analysis
According to a post-referendum survey conducted by Nordic Research, over half of those who voted against STV said that they did so because they did not feel knowledgeable.


2005 British Columbia electoral reform referendum, Analysis
A remarkable feature of the BC 2005 referendum was the extent of voter support across party lines. In particular, the research showed Liberals, Greens and undecided voters quite supporting of STV, with well over 60% support among these groups, but support among Liberals was fairly high as well, at about 50% (, op. cit.).


2005 British Columbia electoral reform referendum, Analysis
As Pilon points out, the aftermath of the 1996 and 2001 elections had left many partisans of both the NDP and Liberal parties unsure about their parties future and open to proposals for reform and the moment was ripe for the referendum to secure support across party lines, despite the lack of support or even opposition from party leaders (: 80)


2005 British Columbia electoral reform referendum, Aftermath
There was some ambivalence on how to proceed following the referendum, considering the strong support that it had shown, while falling short of the threshold for it to be binding. The Liberal government, which had been reelected the day of the referendum, put off any comment on how it would respond until the fall of 2005. The public itself was quite divided; and some in the electoral reform community expressed concern that the Legislature might impose a "watered-down" or partisan-inspired system in lieu of the STV model.


2005 British Columbia electoral reform referendum, Aftermath
The Liberals' response came in Premier Gordon Campbell's . The speech rejected the call for introducing STV immediately and rejected a re-opening of the process to consider other options. Instead, it announced a second referendum on the STV proposal, with some adjustments: this time, a provisional map of STV ridings would be prepared in advance, and public funds would be provided to both pro- and anti-STV groups "to support active information campaigns for supporters and detractors of each model." BC-STV would remain intact as the proposed alternative to FPTP and the 60% threshold would also remain in place.


2005 British Columbia electoral reform referendum, Aftermath
The original intent in the Speech from the Throne was that the referendum would be rerun in conjunction with the B.C. municipal elections in November 2008 in time to be implemented in the next provincial election should it be approved. However, the Premier later issued a , indicating that the date of the referendum would be postponed until May 2009 to coincide with the next provincial election. He explained that this was being done after consulting with Elections BC to reduce the cost of running the referendum while ensuring that there would be enough time to prepare for the next election should the referendum call for an STV model to be implemented.


2005 British Columbia general election
The 2005 British Columbia general election was held on May 17, 2005, to elect members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) of the Province of British Columbia (BC), Canada. The British Columbia Liberal Party (BC Liberals) formed the government of the province prior to this general election under the leadership of Premier Gordon Campbell. The main opposition was the British Columbia New Democratic Party (BC NDP), whose electoral representation was reduced to two MLAs in the previous provincial election in 2001.


2005 British Columbia general election
The BC Liberals retained power, with a reduced majority of 46 out of 79 seats, down from the record 77 out of 79 in 2001. Voter turnout was 58.2 per cent.


2005 British Columbia general election
Under amendments to the BC Constitution Act passed in 2001, BC elections are now held on fixed dates: the second Tuesday in May every four years. This was the first provincial election for which elector data in the provincial elector list was synchronised with the National Register of Electors.


2005 British Columbia general election, Electoral reform referendum
The BC electoral reform referendum was held in conjunction with this election. This referendum asked voters whether or not they support the proposed electoral reforms of the Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform, which included switching to a single transferable vote (STV) system. Had it been approved by 60% of voters in 60% of ridings), the new electoral system would have been implemented for the general election in 2009.


2005 British Columbia general election, Electoral reform referendum
Although the proposed reform attracted a clear majority (58% of the popular vote in favour, with 77 out of 79 ridings showing majority support), the level of support was just short of that required for mandatory implementation. A new vote on a revamped version of STV was held in conjunction with the 2009 British Columbia general election.


2005 British Columbia general election, Results by party
* denotes that the party did not contest the election in question


2005 British Columbia general election, Opinion polls and predictions
Below are the set of polls closest to the election, from organizations polling in British Columbia


2005 British Columbia general election, Opinion polls and predictions
Besides the usual public polling by market research firms, other organizations have been attempting to predict the results of the upcoming election using alternate methods. Results suggest that all three projections below underestimated NDP seats and overestimated Liberal seats:


2005 British Columbia general election, Opinion polls and predictions
UBC's Election Stock Market tracks the prices of contracts whose value depend on election results: Popular vote: Lib 44.5%, NDP 35.9%, Green 13.9%, Other 5.3%Seats: Lib 48.6 (61.5), NDP 29.4 (37.2), Other 1.6 (2.0)(values in parentheses are values of actual contracts, in cents)


2005 British Columbia general election, Opinion polls and predictions
The  aggregates submissions from the Internet and subjectively predicts winners based on the submissions (see ):Seats: Lib 50, NDP 29, Other 0


2005 British Columbia general election, Opinion polls and predictions
Will McMartin at the progressive online newspaper  makes  by looking at "historic election results and selected demographics, as well as public opinion polls, regional sources and input from Election Central readers" (see ):Seats: Lib 51, NDP 28, Other 0


2005 British Columbia general election, Political parties
British Columbia has Canada's least restrictive elections laws with regard to political party registration, and consequently there are currently nearly 50 parties registered with Elections BC, by far the most of any jurisdiction in the country. Twenty-five parties contested the 2005 election, also a considerably greater number than anywhere else in Canada.


2005 British Columbia general election, Political parties, British Columbia Liberal Party
The BC Liberals won 77 of 79 seats in the 2001 election. At dissolution, the party held 72 seats. One member elected as a Liberal left the party to sit as a member of Democratic Reform British Columbia; one member elected as a Liberal left to sit as an independent; the party lost one by-election to the opposition New Democratic Party; and two former Liberal seats were vacant when the election was called. In 2005 election, the Liberal party dropped from 72 to 46 seats in the legislature, yet still won the election.


2005 British Columbia general election, Political parties, New Democratic Party of British Columbia
The NDP's legislative caucus was reduced from a majority to just two seats in the 2001 election. It won another seat in an October 2004 by-election to bring the total to three. Carole James led the NDP to 33 seats to become the Leader of the Opposition.


2005 British Columbia general election, Political parties, Green Party of British Columbia
The Green Party ran 72 candidates in 2001, winning 12 percent of the vote but no seats in the legislature. Some argued that the Green Party support peaked in 2001, drawing on dissatisfied NDP voters, and they would remain incapable of winning a seat in 2005 under the First-Past-the-Post system; others believed that if there had been four or more competitive parties in this election, the Greens might elect a handful of members. Alternatively, if they had received more votes, they would have been more likely to win a seat. The Greens may benefit if a later election is conducted using the proposed BC-STV system. In 2005, the Greens received 9% of the popular vote and no seats.


2005 British Columbia general election, Political parties, Democratic Reform British Columbia
Democratic Reform British Columbia is a new party created in early 2005 by the merger of the British Columbia Democratic Coalition—a coalition of minor centrist parties— with the All Nations Party of British Columbia and key elements of the Reform BC. Independent MLA Elayne Brenzinger, a former Liberal, became DRBC's first MLA on January 19, 2005. Controversially, no invitation was extended for Morino to participate in the leader's debate.


2005 British Columbia general election, Political parties, British Columbia Marijuana Party
The BC Marijuana Party nominated 43 candidates in this election. It was the only party other than the Liberals and NDP to run candidates in all 79 districts in 2001. The party chose not to run in certain districts and instead endorse New Democrat and Green candidates who publicly favour the legalization of marijuana. Party founder Marc Emery ran against Solicitor General Rich Coleman, an anti-drug hardliner, in staunchly conservative Fort Langley-Aldergrove. He gained controversy early in the campaign for claiming that the government spends too much money on senior citizens.


2005 British Columbia general election, Political parties, Minor parties
The WLP is an anti-materialist political movement that hopes to achieve socialist and green ends through, among other things, the promotion of a four-day work-week. The 2005 BC election marked the debut in Western politics of any registered party expressly driven by the ideology of voluntary simplicity. It nominated 11 candidates, all in urban ridings.


2005 British Columbia general election, Political parties, Minor parties
Platinum Party of Employers Who Think and Act to Increase Awareness


2005 British Columbia general election, Political parties, Minor parties
Nominated seven candidates. Former provincial affiliate of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada


2005 British Columbia general election, Political parties, Minor parties
Nominated six candidates. Provincial affiliate of the Libertarian Party of Canada


2005 British Columbia general election, Political parties, Minor parties
Nominated five candidates. Provincial affiliate of the Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist).


2005 British Columbia general election, Political parties, Minor parties
A new autonomist/separatist party that nominated four candidates around the province.


2005 British Columbia general election, Political parties, Minor parties
Nominated three candidates. Provincial affiliate of the Communist Party of Canada.


2005 British Columbia general election, Political parties, Minor parties
Nominated three candidates in the City of Vancouver. Billed itself as "the world's first sex-positive party."


2005 British Columbia general election, Political parties, Minor parties
Although Social Credit governed British Columbia for most of the period from 1952 to 1991, the party is now a minor party, with little organization or support. It nominated the minimum two candidates in order to retain party status this election.


2005 British Columbia general election, Political parties, Minor parties
Although the WCC did not run in the 2001 election, it has been a constant, if minor, force in the BC political fringes for decades. Christie, its controversial leader, and a second candidate were nominated by the party in Greater Victoria.


2005 British Columbia general election, Political parties, Minor parties
The BC Party is also a relatively old minor party, one of several populist conservative organizations that attempted to fill the vacuum after the collapse of Social Credit in the mid-nineties. This was the first election in which it nominated candidates. It nominated two candidates. A third possible candidate, Summer Davis in Surrey-Tynehead, ran as an independent.


2005 British Columbia general election, Political parties, Minor parties
The majority of the Moderates, including leader Matthew Laird, joined DRBC. The party's registration did not lapsed, however. The two candidates running under its banner opposed the merger.


2005 British Columbia general election, Political parties, Minor parties
BC Unity finished fourth in 2001, winning slightly over 3% of the vote with a slate of 56 candidates. It stood poised to potentially benefit from right-of-centre voters disenchanted with Campbell, but instead fell victim to serious internal division following a failed merger with the BC Conservative Party, which led to Chris Delaney's resignation as party leader. It appointed Daniel Stelmacker as its interim leader until it can hold a full leadership convention in the autumn of 2005. Stelmacker was its only nominated candidate, in Skeena riding.


2005 British Columbia general election, Political parties, Minor parties
Aborted mergers with BC Unity and DRBC drained supporters left and right from BC Reform, leaving only a tiny core of what was briefly BC's third party. Party founder Ron Gamble was the party's sole candidate in North Vancouver-Lonsdale.


2005 British Columbia general election, Political parties, Minor parties
YPP appears to be a one-man political movement; its website made mention of no figures other than Filippelli, the party's founder and leader, who was its sole candidate in this election. He ran in Port Moody-Westwood.


2005 British Columbia general election, Candidates
The deadline for candidate registration was Wednesday, May 4, 2005, at 1:00 p.m. Pacific Time.


2005 British Columbia municipal elections
The Canadian province of British Columbia held municipal elections on November 19, 2005. Voters in each of BC's 157 municipalities elected mayors and councillors, and rural voters elected directors for their regional district electoral area. School boards and other specialized public bodies (such as the Vancouver Park Board) have also been elected, and various local referendums are held concurrently.


2005 British Columbia municipal elections
Political parties and slates are a common feature of governance in some municipalities in the Metro Vancouver and Greater Victoria areas, though the rest of the province's cities and towns resemble the majority of Canada in lacking overt partisan alliances. The City of Vancouver, as well as its neighbour Richmond in particular, has an entrenched and polarized party system unique in the country.


2005 British Columbia municipal elections, Metro Vancouver, Surrey, Councillors
Electors could vote for eight candidates. Percentages are determined in relation to the total number of votes.


2005 British Columbia municipal elections, Metro Vancouver, Vancouver
Sam Sullivan defeated Jim Green, and 18 other candidates, in the race for mayor.


2005 British Formula 3 International Series
The 2005 British Formula 3 International Series was the 55th British Formula 3 International Series season. It commenced on 2 April 2005 and ended on 9 October after twenty two races.


2005 British Formula 3 International Series, Drivers and teams
The following teams and drivers were competitors in the 2005 British Formula 3 International Series. The National class is for year-old Formula Three cars. Teams in the Invitation class are not series regulars, and do not compete for championship points.


2005 British Formula 3 International Series, Calendar and results
The Spa, Monza, Silverstone and Nürburgring races were held supporting the Le Mans Series. The remaining rounds supported the British GT Championship.


2005 British Grand Prix
The 2005 British Grand Prix (officially the 2005 Formula 1 Foster's British Grand Prix) was a Formula One race held in Silverstone Circuit on 10 July 2005 at 13:00 BST (UTC+1). It was the eleventh race of the 2005 Formula One season and the last race for then Minardi driver Patrick Friesacher.


2005 British Grand Prix, Friday drivers
The bottom 6 teams in the 2004 Constructors' Championship were entitled to run a third car in free practice on Friday. These drivers drove on Friday but did not compete in qualifying or the race.


2005 British Grand Prix, Report
For the second consecutive race, Renault's Fernando Alonso took pole position while his championship rival, McLaren's Kimi Räikkönen, was demoted ten places on the grid following an engine failure. Räikkönen, who had originally qualified second with a time just 0.027 seconds slower than Alonso's, suffered this engine failure during Saturday free practice.


2005 British Grand Prix, Report
This promoted BAR's Jenson Button, in his home race, to the front row, with the top ten being completed by Juan Pablo Montoya in the second McLaren, Jarno Trulli in the Toyota, Rubens Barrichello in the Ferrari, Giancarlo Fisichella in the second Renault, Takuma Sato in the second BAR, Ralf Schumacher in the second Toyota, Michael Schumacher in the second Ferrari, and Jacques Villeneuve in the Sauber. Jordan's Tiago Monteiro started at the rear of the grid after failing to set a time, following an engine failure during Friday practice.


2005 British Grand Prix, Report
Before the race, a minute of silence was held as a mark of respect for those who had lost their lives in the London bombings three days earlier.


2005 British Grand Prix, Report
The weather was hot, with air temperature at 30 °C, and the track temperature at 45 °C as the cars completed the formation lap. Sato stalled as he came to the grid, but race director Charlie Whiting nonetheless started the race, with the safety car being deployed on lap 2 to allow the marshals to safely return the BAR to the pit lane. Sato would eventually rejoin the race, two laps behind the leaders. Montoya made a fast start, passing Button off the grid and then overtaking Alonso for the lead into Becketts.


2005 British Grand Prix, Report
After the safety car period, Montoya retained the lead until the first round of pit stops, although Alonso remained no more than a second and a half behind as he and the Colombian traded fastest laps. Button held third, while Barrichello and Fisichella passed a slow-starting Trulli, who in turn was holding up Michael Schumacher. Räikkönen, already up four places, was thus able to close up behind Schumacher and Trulli, but was unable to overtake them until the pit stops.


2005 British Grand Prix, Report
Montoya made his first pit stop on lap 21, a lap earlier than planned due to traffic. Alonso followed on lap 23, rejoining the race almost side-by-side with Montoya, who again held his line. Fisichella led for the next two laps, setting the fastest lap in the process, before making his first stop. On lap 28, with every driver except Sato having pitted, Montoya led Alonso by three seconds, followed by Fisichella, Button, Barrichello, Räikkönen, Michael Schumacher and Trulli.


2005 British Grand Prix, Report
On lap 32 Barrichello, on a three-stop strategy, made his second stop. This enabled Räikkönen, now the fastest man on the track, to close up behind Button. Montoya responded to his team-mate's pace, and to Alonso, by setting back-to-back fastest laps on laps 40 and 41, increasing his lead over the Spaniard to over six seconds. On lap 43, Räikkönen took fourth when Button made his second stop, easily retaining this position after his own stop two laps later. Montoya pitted on lap 44, putting Alonso back in front, before Barrichello made his third stop on lap 45. On lap 46 Fisichella, on course for his first podium since winning the opening race of the season in Australia, made his second stop, but stalled as he tried to leave the pits, promoting Räikkönen to third.


2005 British Grand Prix, Report
Alonso led for five laps before pitting on lap 49, but lost time trying to lap Trulli. This meant that he did not have a big enough lead to make his stop and rejoin the race in front of Montoya, though he was comfortably ahead of Räikkönen. In the end, the Colombian took his first win for McLaren by 2.7 seconds. Räikkönen set the fastest race lap on the final lap to finish less than 12 seconds behind Alonso, while Fisichella ended up 3.5 seconds behind the Finn. Button finished a distant fifth, ahead of Michael Schumacher and Barrichello, while Ralf Schumacher edged out Toyota team-mate Trulli for the final point.


2005 British Grand Prix, Report
There was only one retirement in the race, Jordan's Narain Karthikeyan dropping out on lap 11 with an electrical failure.


2005 British Grand Prix, Report
The result allowed Alonso to increase his lead over Räikkönen in the Drivers' Championship by two points, 77 to 51. Michael Schumacher remained in third on 43 points, while Montoya moved up to sixth with 26. In the Constructors' Championship, McLaren reduced the deficit to Renault by three points, 102 to 87, Ferrari remaining in third on 74.


2005 British National Track Championships
The 2005 British National Track Championships were a series of track cycling competitions held from 6–9 October 2005 at the Manchester Velodrome. They are organised and sanctioned by British Cycling, and were open to British cyclists.


2005 British Rowing Championships
The 2005 British Rowing Championships known as the National Championships at the time, were the 34th edition of the National Championships, held from 15–17 July 2005 at the National Water Sports Centre in Holme Pierrepont, Nottingham. They were organised and sanctioned by British Rowing, and are open to British rowers.


2005 British Speedway Championship
The 2005 British Speedway Championship was the 45th edition of the British Speedway Championship. The Final took place on 10 July at Oxford Stadium in Oxford, England. The Championship was won by Scott Nicholls, who beat Chris Harris, Joe Screen and Mark Loram in the final heat.


2005 British Superbike Championship
The 2005 British Superbike season started on 26 March and ended on 9 October. It included 55 riders on 25 teams from 8 countries.# Riders used machines from 5 different constructors, including Honda, Ducati, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha.


2005 British Touring Car Championship
The 2005 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship season was the 48th British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) season. As in 2004, there were ten racing weekends at nine different circuits; each round comprising three races, making a thirty round competition in total.


2005 British Touring Car Championship, Changes for 2005, Teams and drivers
After 2004 saw the BTCC boasting its largest number of entries since the height of the Super Touring era in the 1990s, the following season brought a significant decline in interest. Proton and Honda pulled their manufacturer support from the series, with many of the smaller independent teams also deciding against returning.


2005 British Touring Car Championship, Changes for 2005, Teams and drivers
Reigning champions Vauxhall stayed on as one of the two remaining manufacturers, dropping its Astra Coupe after four straight titles with the chassis, and introducing the all new Astra Sport Hatch (again prepared by Triple 8). Reigning champion James Thompson had left the BTCC to contest the World Touring Car Championship with Alfa Romeo, leaving the 2004 runner-up and 2003 champion Yvan Muller to head the team. SEAT Cupra Cup graduate Gavin Smith joined the team after appearing in an Astra Coupe for GA Motorsport at one meeting in 2004, and Colin Turkington moved into Thompson's seat after two promising seasons with the WSR MG squad.


2005 British Touring Car Championship, Changes for 2005, Teams and drivers
Their only manufacturer opposition came from SEAT, expanding their effort to three Super 2000-spec Toledos for their second season. 2001 champion Jason Plato remained as team leader, but Rob Huff departed to join the Chevrolet WTCC campaign. He was replaced by Luke Hines, moving from Vauxhall, with James Pickford taking the third seat as reward for winning the SEAT Cupra Cup in 2004.


2005 British Touring Car Championship, Changes for 2005, Teams and drivers
Team Dynamics took a brave gamble by replacing their Honda Civic Type Rs with a pair of brand new, self-developed Integras. Matt Neal and Dan Eaves remained as drivers. A third car was entered late in the season for Gareth Howell in order to support Neal's title campaign. West Surrey Racing again campaigned the MG ZS as an independent entry after MG Rover withdrew their support at the end of 2003. Rob Collard moved from his self-run Astra Coupe to fill Colin Turkington's seat, but a second driver with sufficient budget could not be found.


2005 British Touring Car Championship, Changes for 2005, Teams and drivers
Arena Motorsport also continued their campaign despite losing manufacturer support, entering a single Honda Civic Type-R for the returning Tom Chilton from the second round onwards. The only other full-time returnees were Synchro Motorsport, with James Kaye driving their ex-works Civic Type-R once again.


2005 British Touring Car Championship, Changes for 2005, Teams and drivers
Two new squads joined the series, both on very low budgets. SpeedEquipe (as HPI Racing) graduated from the Renault Clio Cup together with their drivers Richard Williams and Ian Curley, to run Lexus IS200s, while Fast-Tec Motorsports and team owner/driver Mark Proctor moved from the SCSA stock car series to run the Astra Coupe that Rob Collard had taken to the Independents title in 2003.


2005 British Touring Car Championship, Changes for 2005, Teams and drivers
Kartworld Racing returned mid-season with team principal Jason Hughes again racing an ex-works MG ZS, as did Tech-Speed Motorsport running their Astra Coupe (now bio-ethanol powered) for rookie Fiona Leggate. Daniels Motorsport entered another Astra Coupe for Andy Neate for the final round at Brands Hatch.


2005 British Touring Car Championship, Season Calendar
All races were held in the United Kingdom (excepting Mondello Park round that held in Ireland).


2005 British motorcycle Grand Prix
The 2005 British motorcycle Grand Prix was the ninth round of the 2005 MotoGP Championship. It took place on the weekend of 22–24 July 2005 at the Donington Park circuit. It was also marked the final victory of Valentino Rossi in the wet race at the British circuit until the 2015 event was held at the Silverstone Circuit.


2005 British motorcycle Grand Prix, 125 cc classification
The race, scheduled to be run for 25 laps, was stopped after 7 full laps due to heavy rain. It was later restarted for 9 laps, with the grid determined by the running order before the suspension. The second part of the race determined the final result.


2005 British motorcycle Grand Prix, Championship standings after the race (motoGP)
Below are the standings for the top five riders and constructors after round nine has concluded.


2005 Bromont municipal election
The 2005 Bromont municipal election took place on November 6, 2005, to elect a mayor and councillors in Bromont, Quebec. Incumbent mayor Pauline Quinlan was re-elected to a third mandate without difficulty.


2005 Bromont municipal election, Results
Source: Joshua Bleser, "Pauline Quinlan returned as mayor of Bromont," Sherbrooke Record, 7 November 2005, p. 4.


2005 Brown Bears football team
The 2005 Brown Bears football team was an American football team that represented Brown University during the 2005 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Brown won the Ivy League championship.


2005 Brown Bears football team
In their eighth season under head coach Phil Estes, the Bears compiled a 9–1 record and outscored opponents 368 to 218. James Frazier, Jamie Gasparella and Nick Hartigan were the team captains.


2005 Brown Bears football team
The Bears' 6–1 conference record topped the Ivy League standings. They outscored Ivy opponents 252 to 166.


2005 Brown Bears football team
Brown was unranked to start the year, and did not enter the national top 25 until November. After closing out the year on an eight-game win streak, the Bears were ranked No. 15 in the final poll.


2005 Brown Bears football team
Brown played its home games at Brown Stadium in Providence, Rhode Island.


2005 Brownlow Medal
The 2005 Brownlow Medal was the 78th year the award was presented to the player adjudged the fairest and best player during the Australian Football League (AFL) home and away season. Ben Cousins of the West Coast Eagles won the medal by polling twenty votes during the 2005 AFL season. It was Cousins' first Brownlow Medal win, and with Daniel Kerr finishing the runner up, it was the first time in 79 years that the top two votegetters were from the same club.


2005 Brownlow Medal, Voting procedure
The three field umpires (those umpires who control the flow of the game, as opposed to goal or boundary umpires) confer after each match and award three votes, two votes and one vote to the players they regard as the best, second best and third best in the match, respectively. The votes are kept secret until the awards night, and are read and tallied on the evening.


2005 Brownlow Medal, Voting procedure
As the medal is awarded to the fairest and best player in the league, those who have been suspended during the season by the AFL Tribunal (or, who avoided suspension only because of a discount for a good record or an early guilty plea) are ineligible to win the award; however, they may still continue to poll votes.


2005 Buckinghamshire County Council election
Elections to Buckinghamshire County Council were held on 5 May 2005, alongside the 2005 UK General Election and other local elections in England and Northern Ireland. The entire council was up for election, with each successful candidate serving a four-year term of office, expiring in 2009.


2005 Buckinghamshire County Council election
The Conservative Party remained in overall control of the council, winning 44 out of 57 seats. 11 of the remaining seats were won by the Liberal Democrats, whilst the remaining 2 were won by Labour.


2005 Buckinghamshire County Council election, Result
The overall turnout was 65.4% with a total of 295,905 valid votes cast. A total of 2,397 ballots were rejected.


2005 Buckinghamshire County Council election, Council Composition
Following the last election in 2001 the composition of the council was:


2005 Buckinghamshire County Council election, Ward Results
All results by ward are listed below. The turnout numbers recorded is the valid voter turnout, not the total number of ballots cast including those that were spoiled.


2005 Bucknell Bison football team
The 2005 Bucknell Bison football team was an American football team that represented Bucknell University during the 2005 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Bucknell finished last in the Patriot League.


2005 Bucknell Bison football team
In their third year under head coach Tim Landis, the Bison compiled a 1–10 record. Sean Conover and Stephen Watts were the team captains.


2005 Bucknell Bison football team
The Bison were outscored 332 to 179. Bucknell's winless (0–6) conference record finished seventh in the Patriot League standings.


2005 Bucknell Bison football team
Bucknell played its home games at Christy Mathewson–Memorial Stadium on the university campus in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania.


2005 Buenos Aires 200km
The 2005 200 km of Buenos Aires is the second edition of this race on the TC2000 season. The race was held in the Autódromo Juan y Óscar Gálvez in Buenos Aires.


2005 Buenos Aires 200km, Results
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2005 Buffalo Bandits season
The Buffalo Bandits are a lacrosse team based in Buffalo playing in the National Lacrosse League (NLL). The 2005 season was the 14th in franchise history.


2005 Buffalo Bandits season
The Bandits finished second in the east after stellar seasons from veterans John Tavares and Steve Dietrich, who was named Goaltender of the Year. They hosted the Rochester Knighthawks in the division semi-final game, but the Knighthawks defeated the Bandits 19-14, winning the right to face the eventual champion Toronto Rock in the division finals.


2005 Buffalo Bandits season, Regular season, Conference standings
x: Clinched playoff berth; c: Clinched playoff berth by crossing over to another division; y: Clinched division; z: Clinched best regular season record; GP: Games PlayedW: Wins; L: Losses; GB: Games back; PCT: Win percentage; Home: Record at Home; Road: Record on the Road; GF: Goals scored; GA: Goals allowedDifferential: Difference between goals scored and allowed; GF/GP: Average number of goals scored per game; GA/GP: Average number of goals allowed per game


2005 Buffalo Bandits season, Player stats, Runners (Top 10)
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; LB = Loose Balls; PIM = Penalty Minutes


2005 Buffalo Bandits season, Player stats, Goaltenders
Note: GP = Games Played; MIN = Minutes; W = Wins; L = Losses; GA = Goals Against; Sv% = Save Percentage; GAA = Goals Against Average


2005 Buffalo Bills season
The 2005 Buffalo Bills season was their 46th in the National Football League. The team was unable to improve upon their previous season’s output of 9–7, instead finishing 5–11. This was the sixth consecutive season in which the team missed the playoffs.


2005 Buffalo Bills season, Offseason
Drew Bledsoe, who had been the team’s quarterback from 2002–2004, was released by the Bills after the 2004 season to make way for backup quarterback J. P. Losman. It was the second time that Bledsoe’s team had let him go for a younger quarterback. When Bledsoe was later signed by the Dallas Cowboys, he expressed bitterness with the Bills for the move, stating "I can't wait to go home and dress my kids in little stars and get rid of the other team’s [Buffalo’s] stuff."


2005 Buffalo Bills season, Offseason
The Bills failed to re-sign defensive tackle Pat Williams, who would sign with the Minnesota Vikings for the 2005 season. The Bills also lost starting offensive tackle Jonas Jennings to the San Francisco 49ers.


2005 Buffalo Bills season, Offseason, Draft
Buffalo had six draft picks in the 2005 draft. The Bills traded their only first round pick in 2005 to the Dallas Cowboys to move up in the previous draft, a pick they used to draft J. P. Losman.


2005 Buffalo Bills season, Schedule
In addition to their regular games with AFC East rivals, the Bills played teams from the AFC West and NFC South as per the schedule rotation, and also played intraconference games against the Bengals and the Texans based on divisional positions from 2004.


2005 Buffalo Bulls football team
The 2005 Buffalo Bulls football team represented the University at Buffalo in the 2005 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Bulls offense scored 110 points while the defense allowed 327 points. Buffalo also didn't score a touchdown until a Week 4 game against Western Michigan, where they lost 31-21.


2005 Buffalo mayoral election
The 2005 Buffalo Mayoral Election took place on November 8, 2005. After incumbent Anthony M. Masiello, a Democrat, announced on April 29, 2005 that he would not seek a fourth term as mayor, a field of several Democratic candidates emerged, from which New York State Senator Byron Brown emerged victorious in the primary election. In the general election, Brown went on to defeat Republican challenger Kevin Helfer, former member of the Buffalo Common Council for the University District, as well as two minor-party candidates. Buffalo's 2005 mayoral election is notable as the first in the city to be won by an African-American candidate.


2005 Buffalo mayoral election, Nominations, Democratic primary, Candidates
In addition to Brown, candidates for the Democratic nomination for Mayor in 2005 included Brown's predecessor as State Senator for the 57th District, Al Coppola, attorney and government reform advocate Kevin Gaughan, restaurateur Steven Calvaneso, neighborhood activist and perennial candidate Judith Einach, and Erie County Democratic Committee member Darnell Jackson. Coppola dropped out of the race early, while the latter two hopefuls were removed from the ballot in August 2005 by the Erie County Board of Elections due to petition irregularities, leading to a three-way contest between Brown, Gaughan and Calvaneso for the Democratic nomination.


2005 Buffalo mayoral election, Nominations, Democratic primary, Results
The Democratic primary election was held on September 13, 2005. Brown placed first in the polls with 16,900 votes cast, or 60.6% of the total, winning the Democratic nomination. In second place was Gaughan with 9,264 votes (34.5%), and Calvaneso placed third with 1,362 votes (4.9%).


2005 Buffalo mayoral election, Nominations, Conservative primary, Candidates
Despite the fact that Brown was cross-endorsed by the Erie County Conservative Party under the terms of New York State's electoral fusion law, Republican candidate Kevin Helfer mounted an unprecedented write-in campaign in the Conservative primary election on September 13, 2005 that was described as "crucial" for his hopes to win the general election.


2005 Buffalo mayoral election, Nominations, Conservative primary, Results
The Conservative primary was held on September 13, 2005. Helfer won the election handily, earning 190 votes (65.1%) to Brown's 95 (32.5%). Gaughan also earned 7 write-in votes (2.4%).


2005 Buffalo mayoral election, Nominations, Independence Party primary, Candidates
Despite the fact that the Erie County Independence Party officially endorsed Brown for mayor, there were two candidates from that party who also sought the nomination: Louis P. Corrigan, the Secretary of the Erie County Independence Party, and former local party chairman Charles J. Flynn. Corrigan was ruled ineligible for the ballot by the Erie County Board of Elections due to petition challenges, while Flynn's petitions withstood a similar legal challenge.


2005 Buffalo mayoral election, Nominations, Independence Party primary, Results
The Independence Party primary was held on September 13. Flynn placed first with 135 votes (45.2%); Brown took second place with 128 (42.8%). Also, Helfer earned 32 write-in votes (10.7%), and Gaughan won four (1.3%).


2005 Buffalo mayoral election, Nominations, Other candidates
Despite the petition irregularities which kept her off the ballot in the Democratic primary, Judith Einach was able to secure the nomination of the Green Party and contest the general election.


2005 Buffalo mayoral election, General election, Endorsements
In addition to the Erie County Democratic Party, Brown received the endorsement of the Erie County Working Families Party. Brown was also endorsed by both of New York's United States Senators, Charles Schumer and Hillary Clinton, as well as New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, and New York State Assemblyman and future Congressman Brian Higgins. Helfer was endorsed by the Erie County Republican Party as well as the Buffalo Niagara Partnership, the Buffalo News, and local businessman and future gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino.


2005 Buffalo mayoral election, General election, Results
The general election was held on November 8, 2005. Brown placed first with 46,613 votes cast, or 63.8% of the total. Helfer placed second with 19,853 votes (27.2%). In third place was Einach, with 3,525 votes (4.8%), and in fourth was Flynn with 3,082 votes (4.2%).


2005 Bulgarian Cup Final
The 2005 Bulgarian Cup Final was played at the Vasil Levski National Stadium in Sofia on May 25, 2005 and was contested between the sides of Levski Sofia and CSKA Sofia. The match was refereed by Anton Genov and was won by Levski Sofia. The win gave Levski their 24th Bulgarian Cup success.


2005 Bulgarian Figure Skating Championships
The 2005 Bulgarian Figure Skating Championships were the National Championships of the 2004–05 figure skating season. Skaters competed in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dancing.


2005 Bulgarian Figure Skating Championships
The results were used to choose the teams to the 2005 World Championships and the 2005 European Championships.


2005 Bulgarian Supercup
The 2005 Bulgarian Supercup was the third Bulgarian Supercup match, a football match which was contested between the "A" professional football group champion, CSKA Sofia, and the winner of Bulgarian Cup, Levski Sofia. The match was held on 31 July 2005 at the Vasil Levski National Stadium in Sofia, Bulgaria. Levski beat CSKA 4–2 (after penalties) to win their first Bulgarian Supercup.


2005 Bulgarian parliamentary election
Parliamentary elections were held in Bulgaria on June 25, 2005, for the 240 members of the National Assembly. According to exit polls, the Socialists had a lead with around 31%, but without a majority, necessitating the creation of a coalition. The National Movement for Simeon II, in power before the election, was in second place, with around 21%. Following the election, Socialist Party leader Sergei Stanishev became Prime Minister.


2005 Bulgarian parliamentary election
At least 6,000 candidates (from 22 parties) ran for election to the 240 member parliament. The turnout of 56% was the lowest on record. 4% of the votes are needed to gain a seat.


2005 Bulgarian parliamentary election
The opposition led the election, but did not gain an outright majority. Sergei Stanishev, leader of the socialist party, stated he would attempt to form a governing coalition. "We won the confidence of the people ... We are ready to form a government ... and we will negotiate with any democratic party," Stanishev said in a press conference.


2005 Bulgarian parliamentary election
In the last five free elections held since 1989, no government has been re-elected—each has had to implement stringent economic and social reforms, since the fall of communism, and has lost popular support as a result.


2005 Bulgarian parliamentary election
For a political analysis of the 2005 parliamentary elections see  published by the European Parties Elections and Referendums Network.


2005 Bulgarian parliamentary election, Aftermath
As no one party received a majority in the Assembly the Socialists were faced with the task of putting together a coalition government. The Socialists faced many difficulties when trying to establish a coalition as all of the other political parties that had crossed the 4% threshold in the parliament were to the right of the Socialists, meaning compromise would be needed to ensure a workable coalition agreement. The Socialists tried to form a coalition of the three largest parties: themselves, the NDSV, and the DPS.


2005 Bulgarian parliamentary election, Aftermath
However, while they gained the support of the DPS, they failed to gain the support of the NDSV. While the Socialists tried to enter into a two party minority government with DPS as their coalition partner, this was rejected by parliament when despite voting for Sergei Stanishev to be prime minister in a close 120-119 vote the parliament voted against his proposed cabinet. As per the constitution the mandate to form a government was passed to the next largest political party, NDSV.


2005 Bulgarian parliamentary election, Aftermath
However, on August 11, NDSV announced that they had decided to reject the offer due to the "complicated political situation," this then lead to the third largest party, DPS to receive the mandate to try and form a coalition government, finally after talks with the leaders of the two largest parties Ahmed Dogan, leader of the DPS was able to form a coalition agreement between the Socialists, NDSV and his own DPS. Sergei Stanishev leader of the socialist's was elected prime minister and the coalition held 169 seats in the 240 seat parliament.


2005 Bulldogs RLFC season
The 2005 Bulldogs RLFC season was the 71st season in the club's history. They competed in the NRL's 2005 Telstra Premiership, finishing the regular season 12th.


2005 Bulldogs RLFC season, Squad movement, Debuts
"Debut" means players who have not played in an elite Australian or European league competition previously.


2005 Bulldogs RLFC season, Representatives
The following players have played a representative match in 2005.


2005 Burgenland state election
The 2005 Burgenland state election was held on 9 October 2005 to elect the members of the 19th Landtag of Burgenland.


2005 Burgenland state election
The governing Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ) won in a landslide, securing an absolute majority for the first time since 1982. This came to the detriment of the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ), which conversely suffered its worst result since 1982. The Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) stayed level on 13 seats.


2005 Burgenland state election
The SPÖ could have governed alone thanks to its majority, but chose to renew its coalition with the ÖVP. Niessl was sworn in as Governor for a second term.


2005 Burgenland state election, Background
Prior to amendments made in 2014, the Burgenland constitution mandated that cabinet positions in the state government (state councillors, German: Landesräten) be allocated between parties proportionally in accordance with the share of votes won by each; this is known as Proporz. As such, the government was a perpetual coalition of all parties that qualified for at least one state councillor.


2005 Burgenland state election, Background
In the 2000 election, the SPÖ remained the largest party with 17 seats. The Greens entered the Landtag for the first time with two seats, while the ÖVP and FPÖ lost one each. The SPÖ formed a coalition with the ÖVP.


2005 Burgenland state election, Electoral system
The 36 seats of the Landtag of Burgenland are elected via open list proportional representation in a two-step process. The seats are distributed between seven multi-member constituencies, corresponding to the seven districts of Burgenland (the statutory cities of Eisenstadt and Rust are combined with Eisenstadt-Umgebung District). Apportionment of the seats is based on the results of the most recent census.


2005 Burgenland state election, Electoral system
For parties to receive any representation in the Landtag, they must either win at least one seat in a constituency directly, or clear a 4 percent state-wide electoral threshold. Seats are distributed in constituencies according to the Hare quota, with any remaining seats allocated using the D'Hondt method at the state level, to ensure overall proportionality between a party's vote share and its share of seats.


2005 Burgenland state election, Electoral system
In addition to voting for a political party, voters may cast preferential votes for specific candidates of that party, but are not required to do so. These additional votes do not affect the proportional allocation based on the vote for the party or list, but can change the rank order of candidates on a party's lists at the state and constituency level. Voters may cast one preferential vote at the state level, or three at the constituency level. A voter may not cross party-lines to cast a preference vote for a candidate of another party; such preference votes are invalid.


2005 Burgenland state election, Contesting parties
In addition to the parties already represented in the Landtag, one party collected enough signatures to be placed on the ballot.


2005 Burkinabé presidential election
Presidential elections were held in Burkina Faso on 13 November 2005. Incumbent president Blaise Compaoré was re-elected with around 80% of the vote.


2005 Burkinabé presidential election, Background
Compaoré has been in power since October 1987, was first elected in 1991, and was re-elected in 1998. In August 2005 he announced his intention to run for a third term as President. Opposition politicians argued that Compaoré could not run in the election because a constitutional amendment passed in 2000 limited a president to two terms. The amendment also reduced the term length from seven to five years. Compaoré's supporters, however, argued that the amendment could not be applied retroactively.


2005 Burkinabé presidential election, Background
In October 2005, the Constitutional Council ruled that because Compaoré was President in 2000, the amendment would not apply until the end of his current term, thereby allowing his candidacy in the 2005 election.


2005 Burkinabé presidential election, Campaign
The most contentious political issues facing the nation's government were freedom of press, economic viability, and tension with neighboring Ivory Coast caused by alleged Burkinabé support for Ivorian insurgents and the migration of workers to the Ivory Coast and Ghana.


2005 Burkinabé presidential election, Campaign
Compaoré's campaign manager Salif Diallo expressed confidence in his candidate: "Our objective is not the victory of our candidate in the first round - that's already a sure thing, given the mobilisation of our supporters and the popularity of our candidate. Our goal is rather that the turnout and the lead be high."


2005 Burkinabé presidential election, Campaign
On 27 and 28 October 18 labour unions called a two-day strike for higher salaries and pensions, and lower taxes on basic necessities. While in Gaskinde, Bénéwendé Stanislas Sankara stated "The labour union strikes demonstrate that the citizens have had enough of this government."


2005 Burkinabé presidential election, Campaign
Several parties did not nominate their own candidates, but supported those of other parties; the Alliance for Democracy and Federation – African Democratic Rally and the Rally of Democrats for Faso supported Compaoré, the Sankarist Democratic Front supported Sankara, the Convergence for Social Democracy and the Union of Progressive Forces supported Philippe Ouédraogo, and Convergence of Hope backed Norbert Tiendrébéogo.


2005 Burkinabé presidential election, Campaign
Hermann Yaméogo of the National Union for the Defence of Democracy withdrew his candidacy in October, but due to the lateness of his withdrawal, he remained on the ballot paper. Prior to his withdrawal, he had been supported by the Citizens League of Builders, the Group of Patriotic Democrats, the Movement for Democracy and Rebirth, the National Convention of Progressive Democrats, the National Republican Party-Right Path, the Party of Independent Forces for Development, the Patriotic Front for Change, the Union of Democrats and Independent Progressives and the Union of Forces for Renewal.


2005 Burkinabé presidential election, Aftermath
Following Compaoré's victory, he was sworn in for another term on 20 December 2005 in Ouagadougou.


2005 Burundian communal elections
Communal elections were held in Burundi on 3 June and 7 June 2005. The elections were won by the National Council for the Defense of Democracy – Forces for the Defense of Democracy (CNDD-FDD), which won 1,781 of the 3,225 seats.


2005 Burundian communal elections, Conduct
The election was largely peaceful in most parts of the country, however, violence and intimidation in some communes of Bujumbura Rural and Bubanza provinces led to a re-poll held on 7 June. Observers considered the communal elections generally free and fair, despite some minor irregularities.


2005 Burundian constitutional referendum
A constitutional referendum was held in Burundi on 28 February 2005. The new constitution was approved by 92% of voters.


2005 Burundian constitutional referendum, Proposed constitution
The proposed new constitution guaranteed representation for both Hutu and Tutsi ethnic groups by setting out ethnic quotas for parliament, government and the army, which had been dominated by Tutsis since independence;


2005 Burundian constitutional referendum, Campaign
Most political parties urged a "Yes" vote in the poll, but some Tutsi parties urged a "No" vote, stating that the new constitution doesn't give Tutsis enough guarantees.


2005 Burundian legislative election
Parliamentary elections were held in Burundi on 4 July 2005. The result was a victory for the National Council for the Defense of Democracy – Forces for the Defense of Democracy (CNDD–FDD), which won 64 of the 118 seats in the National Assembly


2005 Burundian legislative election, Conduct
Voting was largely peaceful throughout the country during election day. Observers deemed the polls generally free, fair, and transparent while the major political parties accepted the results as legitimate.


2005 Burundian legislative election, Results, National Assembly
In order to ensure the 60%-40% ethnic split and 30% quota for women, a further 18 members, including the three Twa representatives foreseen by the Electoral Code, were co-opted after the elections.


2005 Burundian legislative election, Results, Senate
Following the National Assembly elections, the Senate was indirectly elected on 29 July. Of the 49 Senate members, 34 were elected by electoral colleges formed by councillors, three were co-opted Twas, four were former Presidents, and eight further members were co-opted to ensure that at least 30% of its members were women. A total of 119 candidates stood for election to the Senate.


2005 Burundian presidential election
Indirect presidential elections were held in Burundi on 19 August 2005. Members of the National Assembly and Senate chose the new president of the republic for a five-year term. The sole candidate, Pierre Nkurunziza of the CNDD–FDD, was elected by a vote of 151–9. Nkurunziza was sworn in on 26 August 2005.


2005 Burundian presidential election, Electoral system
The election was held using the multiple round system. In order to win in the first round of voting, Nkurunziza was required to receive at least two-thirds of the vote (108 votes).