2016 Liberian First Division League, Teams
Two other First Division Clubs: I.E. and NPA Anchor were denied participation for the 2015-16 season due to their failure to meet the statutory requirements in the Club Licensing System.


2016 Liberian First Division League, Teams, Personnel
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2016 Liberian First Division League, League table
Winner of the 2015–16 Liberian FA Cup will qualify for the 2017 CAF Confederation Cup.


2016 Libertarian National Convention
The 2016 Libertarian National Convention was the gathering at which delegates of the Libertarian Party chose the party's nominees for president and vice president in the 2016 national election. The party selected Gary Johnson, a former Governor of New Mexico, as its presidential candidate, with Bill Weld, a former Governor of Massachusetts as his running mate. The convention was held from May 26–30, 2016, in Orlando, Florida.


2016 Libertarian National Convention, Presidential delegate count
No candidate achieved the majority on the first ballot, so there was a second ballot vote. Due to finishing last of the six nominated candidates, McCormick was excluded from the second ballot.


2016 Libertarian National Convention, Presidential delegate count, State by state delegate count
No candidate achieved the majority on the first ballot, so there was a second ballot vote. Due to receiving less than 5% of the votes, McCormick was excluded from the second ballot.


2016 Libertarian National Convention, Vice Presidential delegate count
Prior to vice presidential balloting, Marc Allan Feldman endorsed Gary Johnson's running mate Bill Weld, and Austin Petersen endorsed Alicia Dearn. Judd Weiss, whom John McAfee had selected as his running mate, withdrew his name from consideration and endorsed William Coley, who had been Darryl Perry's running mate. Consequently, McAfee endorsed Derrick Grayson, who received a write-in vote in each round of the presidential contest but had not campaigned for either the presidency or vice presidency prior to the convention.


2016 Libertarian National Convention, Vice Presidential delegate count
No candidate achieved the majority on the first ballot, so there was a second ballot vote. Due to finishing last of the five nominated candidates, Dearn was excluded from the second ballot. Dearn then endorsed Weld. Additionally, both Coley and Grayson withdrew their names and endorsed Sharpe. However, Grayson withdrew his candidacy after the second ballots had been handed out, and therefore his name remained on the ballot as a valid candidate.


2016 Libertarian Party presidential debates and forums
A series of political debates were held between the Libertarian candidates for US president in the 2016 presidential election.


2016 Libertarian Party presidential debates and forums, Presidential debates, Schedule
The following presidential candidates participated in debates: Thomas Clements, JD Donaghe, Marc Allan Feldman, Cecil Ince, Gary Johnson, Steve Kerbel, John McAfee, Kevin McCormick, Darryl W. Perry, Austin Petersen, Derrick Michael Reid, Jack Robinson, Jr., Sam Sloan, Rhett Smith, Shawna Sterling, Vermin Supreme, Joy Waymire, and Heidi Zeman. Will Coley, a vice-presidential candidate, also appeared in one presidential debate.


2016 Libertarian Party presidential debates and forums, Presidential debates, April 1 and 8 – New York – Fox Business Network
The first nationally televised Libertarian Party presidential debate was hosted by Fox Business Network on John Stossel's show Stossel. The two-hour debate was divided into two one-hour segments which were televised on April 1 and 8 at 9:00 Eastern Time. The debate featured the three highest-polling candidates, as measured by the Libertarian Party's own online poll.


2016 Libertarian Party presidential debates and forums, Presidential debates, April 1 and 8 – New York – Fox Business Network
The candidates featured in the debate were former Republican Governor of New Mexico Gary Johnson, 'The Libertarian Republic' founder Austin Petersen and anti-virus software developer John McAfee; John Stossel moderated the debate which featured questions from himself, Fox media personalities (second part) and people who submitted their questions on social media. All three candidates were afforded about the same amount of time to speak at the debate.


2016 Libertarian Party presidential debates and forums, Presidential debates, April 1 and 8 – New York – Fox Business Network
In the first hour of the debate, the main focus was on religious liberty and discrimination. Johnson said:


2016 Libertarian Party presidential debates and forums, Presidential debates, April 1 and 8 – New York – Fox Business Network
I think that if you discriminate on the basis of religion, I think that is a black hole. I think you should be able to discriminate for stink or you're not wearing shoes or whatever. If we discriminate on the basis of religion, to me, that's doing harm to a big class of people.


2016 Libertarian Party presidential debates and forums, Presidential debates, April 1 and 8 – New York – Fox Business Network
Petersen then asked whether a Jewish baker should be required to bake a Nazi-themed wedding cake, to which Johnson replied: "That would be my contention, yes." However, McAfee said:


2016 Libertarian Party presidential debates and forums, Presidential debates, April 1 and 8 – New York – Fox Business Network
If you're the only baker in town, it may be a problem. But no one is forcing you to buy anything or to choose one person over another. So why should I be forced to do anything if I am not harming you? It's my choice to sell, your choice to buy.


2016 Libertarian Party presidential debates and forums, Presidential debates, April 1 and 8 – New York – Fox Business Network
This portrays a fundamental lack of understanding of the free market. You have to allow the marketplace to work. The government cannot stamp out bigotry. The government is not supposed to make us into better people —that's not what the United States was founded on.


2016 Libertarian Party presidential debates and forums, Presidential debates, April 1 and 8 – New York – Fox Business Network
Another topic was foreign policy, specifically the United States' role in military intervention. Johnson said we should go to war only "when attacked;" Petersen said we should cut "every penny" of foreign aid, and McAfee questioned why we need to go to war and told Stossel that he is running for president "because our bodies and our minds belong to ourselves." On the issue of marijuana, Johnson advocated for the legalization of marijuana, saying that it "will lead to less overall substance abuse." Furthermore, he noted that he is the highest official to advocate for the legalization of marijuana.


2016 Libertarian Party presidential debates and forums, Presidential debates, April 1 and 8 – New York – Fox Business Network
On the contrary, Petersen said that "the federal government should have absolutely no role [in determining the legality of drugs]" and that it should be left to the states. On the issue of social security, Petersen said that "the government stole our money in the first place and they should give it back" and even proposed an option to "let young people opt out of social security."


2016 Libertarian Party presidential debates and forums, Presidential debates, April 1 and 8 – New York – Fox Business Network
Other topics discussed during the first hour were abortion, Social Security, gender-pay equality and the national debt. While there was some disagreement over abortion, Social Security, and gender-pay equality, all of the candidates on the stage agreed on the need to balance the federal budget in order to reduce the national debt. Towards the end of the debate, Stossel grilled the candidates on their past. For Johnson, Stossel noted that he is the CEO of a marijuana company and that in 2012 he only got 1% of the vote as the Libertarian Party nominee.


2016 Libertarian Party presidential debates and forums, Presidential debates, April 1 and 8 – New York – Fox Business Network
Johnson responded by citing that marijuana is soon going to be legalized nationwide and that he received the most votes of any Libertarian Party candidate in the history of their party (1.2 million). For McAfee, Stossel made him clarify what happened when his property was raided in Belize. McAfee explained that the government wanted him to pay the extra money and that they were the ones that raided his home. McAfee also had to clarify that his DUI was self-inflicted and that he took all responsibility for his actions. Petersen was asked how he is only 35 years old and would be the youngest president ever elected. Petersen responded by noting the ages of the Founding Fathers at the Constitutional Convention and how they were all in their twenties or thirties.


2016 Libertarian Party presidential debates and forums, Presidential debates, April 1 and 8 – New York – Fox Business Network
All of the candidates then expressed their strengths. Petersen said: "I believe I am the only candidate who can build a coalition of disaffected conservatives, reasonable Democrats, and independents because I am the only pro-life and pro-constitutional LP candidate running. I may be the youngest candidate in the race, but younger men than I founded this country, and it will be young people's responsibility to save it;" Johnson  –  who has enjoyed rising poll numbers and mainstream media appearances  –  said: I intend to offer Americans the alternative they seek.


2016 Libertarian Party presidential debates and forums, Presidential debates, April 1 and 8 – New York – Fox Business Network
Liberty and the freedom to succeed are the real American values, and I'm running for president to restore those values, make America genuinely safe, and put an end to a tired status quo;" McAfee said: "One of the few constitutionally sanctioned duties of the federal government are to provide for the national defense, and our government, in addition to being corrupt to the core, is woefully unprepared to defend our nation from the very real threat of cyber war. And yet, at the same time, this criminal enterprise masquerading as a government encroaches on our personal freedoms at every turn, and that's why I'm running for president as a Libertarian."


2016 Libertarian Party presidential debates and forums, Presidential debates, April 1 and 8 – New York – Fox Business Network
On Twitter, Stossel polled users on who they thought had won the debate and what the candidates best lines were. Out of the 1,704 votes Petersen won with 49% saying that he performed the best, he was followed by Johnson at 29% and McAfee at 22%. A similar poll was conducted by the Libertarian Party on their website showing similar results. Johnson received high marks when he said: "I advocated for legalizing marijuana, I'm the highest official to do that." Petersen's best line was that "all humans deserve the same right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." McAfee's stand out line came when talking about cyber security "we are 20 years behind the Chinese in potato security...we'll be speaking Chinese in 5 years." A notable moment was when Johnson kissed McAfee on the cheek, in stark contrast from the infighting from the two major parties.


2016 Libertarian Party presidential debates and forums, Presidential debates, April 1 and 8 – New York – Fox Business Network
Part two of the Libertarian Party presidential debate was broadcast on April 8 at 21:00 Eastern Time on the Fox Business Network. Social media responses were similar in the hours after the debate. During the second hour of the debate, candidates took questions about immigration, free trade, jobs, using phones to prevent non-state terrorism (specifically the Apple case in San Bernardino, California), environmental issues by the government, Keystone XL pipeline, eminent domain, drug legalization, drug addiction, prostitution, protecting the Constitution, where they agreed almost identically.


2016 Libertarian Party presidential debates and forums, Presidential debates, April 1 and 8 – New York – Fox Business Network
The main point of contention came during a discussion about gun rights where Johnson raised the question about taking guns away from the mentally ill. Petersen quickly blasted the Governor stating the second amendment rights, and McAfee took Petersen's side. McAfee questioned how you can determine who is "mentally ill". Petersen questioned Governor Johnson on his stance on background checks. Johnson replied by talking about his record as Governor of New Mexico where he passed concealed carry laws. However, he failed to come up with a way to address how someone is "mentally ill".


2016 Libertarian Party presidential debates and forums, Presidential debates, April 1 and 8 – New York – Fox Business Network
It was estimated that the viewing audience was around 200,000.


2016 Libertarian Party presidential debates and forums, Presidential debates, May 12 – Washington, DC – RT America
On May 12, a second televised Libertarian debate was aired and hosted by RT America. It was televised live. The three main candidates were invited but did not participate. Instead, Marc Allan Feldman, Darryl W. Perry and Kevin McCormick appeared in the event. The debate was moderated by Tyrel Ventura (son of former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura) and Tabetha Wallace. RT America also hosted a televised debate for the Green Party three days prior.


2016 Libertarian Party presidential debates and forums, Presidential debates, May 12 – Washington, DC – RT America
Perry surprised the moderators during the debate when he said he wanted to end the United States federal government, going as far as to say "the United States government is the world's largest terrorist organization".


2016 Libertarian Party presidential debates and forums, Presidential debates, May 20 – Las Vegas – TheBlaze
On May 16, the three leading Libertarian candidates (Johnson, Petersen and McAfee) participated in a debate held in Las Vegas, Nevada. Longtime Libertarian and entertainer Penn Jillette hosted the debate, which was aired by TheBlaze cable channel on May 20. The candidates were asked questions by other celebrities, including comedians Drew Carey, Carrot Top, Jeff Ross as well as Dee Snider of Twisted Sister and The Five co-host Greg Gutfeld. The debate focused on corporate greed, the War on Drugs and the government's use of force, both at home and abroad.


2016 Libertarian Party presidential debates and forums, Presidential debates, May 20 – Las Vegas – TheBlaze
"The government is, by definition, force, and there are certain things you need to do. You need to do defense, you need to do courts, you need to do police. But beyond that, I don't know if we have to use a lot of force to decide how people make their lawns look," Jillette said. On the issues Johnson said, "The fact that we have the highest incarceration rate of any country in the world, the War on Drugs is really about Black Lives Matter.


2016 Libertarian Party presidential debates and forums, Presidential debates, May 20 – Las Vegas – TheBlaze
With regard to our military interventions, I think that they have the unintended consequence of making things worse, not better," Johnson said. "They're probably fine human beings, but the two-party system takes the soul of a man or woman," McAfee said. "That has to change. It is why we, as Americans, are so dissatisfied. Where will they turn? There's only us."


2016 Libertarian Party presidential debates and forums, Presidential debates, May 26 and 28 – Orlando – Libertarian National Convention
On May 26 and May 28, the presidential candidates debated during the Libertarian National Convention. The preliminary May 26 debate was not televised, and included three tiers. The top tier debate included candidates Feldman, Johnson, McAfee, Perry, and Petersen. Participants in the May 28 debate were determined by a token system. To be invited, a candidate had to earn the tokens of at least 10% of registered delegates. Feldman, Johnson, McAfee, Perry, and Petersen all earned enough tokens to participate in the May 28 debate. Larry Elder moderated the debate. C-SPAN televised the May 28 debate live.


2016 Libertarian Party presidential debates and forums, Presidential debates, May 26 and 28 – Orlando – Libertarian National Convention
The debate stirred some criticism when Gary Johnson was met with boos after saying he would've signed/voted on the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Much of the Libertarian audience opposes the bill because of its contents on private discrimination. He was also booed for supporting drivers' licenses.


2016 Libertarian Party presidential debates and forums, Vice-presidential debates, May 17 – Freedom Gulch
On May 17, Freedom Gulch hosted a Libertarian vice-presidential debate on Google Hangouts featuring the candidates: Will Coley, Alicia Dearn, Larry Sharpe, and Judd Weiss. This occurred before Gary Johnson announced William Weld as his vice-presidential pick.


2016 Libertarian Party presidential debates and forums, Vice-presidential debates, May 26 and 27 – Orlando – Libertarian National Convention
On May 26, at the Libertarian National Convention, the vice-presidential candidates held a preliminary debate after the preliminary presidential debate. It was a two-tiered debate, with the top tier featuring candidates William Weld, Will Coley, Larry Sharpe, Alicia Dearn, and Judd Weiss. The next day on May 27, the vice-presidential candidates had their main debate, featuring Weld, Coley, Sharpe, and Dearn.


2016 Libertarian Party presidential debates and forums, Post-convention town halls and forums, June 22 – New York – CNN
On June 22, CNN hosted a Libertarian prime time town hall with Libertarian nominees Gary Johnson and William Weld. It was held at CNN's headquarters, inside the Time Warner Center in New York City. The town hall was moderated by Chris Cuomo. Over 900,000 people watched the broadcast.


2016 Libertarian Party presidential debates and forums, Post-convention town halls and forums, August 3 – CNN
CNN again hosted a Libertarian town hall, on August 3, featuring Gary Johnson and Bill Weld, this time moderated by Anderson Cooper. The town hall was viewed by more than 1.6 million viewers and helped lead the network to a cable news first-place rating in the 18-49 category, scoring a 0.5.


2016 Libertarian Party presidential debates and forums, Post-convention town halls and forums, August 12 – Las Vegas – AAJA Presidential Election Forum
On August 12, Gary Johnson participated in a Presidential Election Forum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas during the Asian American Journalists Association's annual conference. Former president Bill Clinton was also a participant, representing his wife, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.


2016 Libertarian Party presidential debates and forums, Post-convention town halls and forums, August 17 – Fusion Libertarian Forum
On August 17, Fusion hosted a forum featuring Johnson and Weld and was moderated by Jorge Ramos and Alicia Menendez.


2016 Libertarian Party presidential debates and forums, Post-convention town halls and forums, August 26 – New York – Fox Business Network
On August 26, the Fox Business Network aired a town hall featuring Gary Johnson and William Weld and hosted by John Stossel.


2016 Libertarian Party presidential debates and forums, Post-convention town halls and forums, September 12 - Philadelphia - Sirius XM
On September 12, Gary Johnson and William Weld participated in a town hall at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, moderated by Michael Smerconish and broadcast on the Sirius XM channel P.O.T.U.S..


2016 Libertarian Party presidential debates and forums, Post-convention town halls and forums, September 13 – Purdue University
On September 13, Gary Johnson participated in a discussion at Purdue University hosted by Purdue president and former Indiana governor Mitch Daniels.


2016 Libertarian Party presidential debates and forums, Post-convention town halls and forums, September 28 - University of New Hampshire - MSNBC
On September 28, MSNBC aired a town hall featuring Gary Johnson and William Weld, moderated by Chris Matthews and taking place at the University of New Hampshire.


2016 Libertarian Party presidential primaries
The 2016 Libertarian Party presidential primaries and caucuses allowed electors to indicate non-binding preferences for the Libertarian Party's presidential candidate. These differed from the Republican or Democratic presidential primaries and caucuses in that they did not appoint delegates to represent a candidate at the party's convention to select the party's nominee for the United States presidential election. The party's nominee for the 2016 presidential election was chosen directly by registered delegates at the 2016 Libertarian National Convention, which ran from May 26 to 30, 2016. The delegates nominated former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson for President and former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld for Vice President.


2016 Libertarian Party presidential primaries
Four primaries and one caucus were held. Missouri and North Carolina held primaries on March 15, as an alternative ballot to other primaries such as those of the Republicans and Democrats. Gary Johnson, who had won the party's nomination in the 2012 presidential election, won North Carolina with 42%. In Missouri a plurality of voters chose the "Uncommitted" option over local candidate Austin Petersen, 40% to 29%, with Johnson not appearing on the Missouri ballot due to announcing his candidacy after the filing deadline.


2016 Libertarian Party presidential primaries
An Oregon primary was run on May 27 during the national convention, while the California primary was held on June 7 after the party's convention. The only caucus was in Minnesota on March 1, where 75% of the electors selected Gary Johnson. Jurisdictions in the 2016 primaries that did not participate in conventional roll call are: American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Oregon, Puerto Rico, and the U.S Virgin Islands.


2016 Libertarian Party presidential primaries, Candidates
24 candidates were recognized by the Libertarian Party and 16 were ultimately eligible for the presidential nomination at the 2016 Libertarian National Convention. For a candidate to have been recognized by the Libertarian Party, they must have:


2016 Libertarian Party presidential primaries, Candidates
Of the recognized candidates, eight did not run in any primary or caucus: Joey Berry, Brian Briggs, Thomas Clements, Malisia Garcia, Kevin McCormick, Robert Milnes, Mike Shannon and Heidi Zeman. The other ten recognized candidates as well as three unrecognized candidates – John David Hale (who was disrecognized because he was under 35 and so ineligible to serve as President), Nathan Norman and Merry Susan Nehls – stood in at least one primary or caucus, and appear in the table below. Five recognized candidates withdrew: Cecil Ince, Steve Kerbel, Joy Waymire, Bart Lower and Donald Eugene Lowe.


2016 Libertarian Party presidential primaries, Timeline of the race, Background
The 2016 United States presidential election was the twelfth contested election for the Libertarian Party of the United States. The 2004 presidential election saw Libertarian nominee Michael Badnarik appear on ballots in 48 states plus the District of Columbia. He received 0.3% of the popular vote, and came fourth behind the two major parties' nominees as well as third-placed independent Ralph Nader. In the 2008 election, Bob Barr was nominated as the Libertarian Parties's candidate for the presidency and had ballot access to 45. However, Barr insignificantly improved upon Badnarik's performance, capturing only 0.4% of the popular vote in an election that also saw Nader finish a strong third behind the Democratic and Republican parties.


2016 Libertarian Party presidential primaries, Timeline of the race, Background
Having received minimal publicity in previous elections, which contributed to the low voting share that the party received, the Libertarian Party gained significant exposure and media attention in the lead-up to the 2012 Libertarian National Convention and the 2012 presidential election, starting with former two term New Mexico governor Gary Johnson's announcement of his presidential run with the Party. Using the publicity gained from the announcement, Johnson praised the Libertarian Party and championed their beliefs through interviews and public statements, which were often profane and harshly critical of both the Democratic and Republican parties.


2016 Libertarian Party presidential primaries, Timeline of the race, Background
Johnson won the nomination at the 2012 Libertarian National Convention running on a platform of being more fiscally conservative than Republican nominee Mitt Romney and more socially liberal than Democratic President Barack Obama. Johnsons's campaign for the presidency focused mostly on upholding the continued publicity gained by the Libertarian Party due to his campaign and gaining support from independents and dissenting Democratic and Republican voters, often through echoing resentment towards the two parties. This included a court challenge against the Commission on Presidential Debates by Johnson that sought to include him in the official presidential election debates.


2016 Libertarian Party presidential primaries, Timeline of the race, Background
On election day, Johnson oversaw a relatively sharp rise in the Libertarian Party's vote total, earning 1% of the popular vote, which equated to 1,275,821 votes, in the 48 states plus D.C. where the Libertarian Party had ballot access. The result was double the number Bob Barr received in 2008, and made the Libertarian's the most popular third party in the election. In the election Johnson received the most votes ever for the Libertarian Party nominee, passing Ed Clark's candidacy in 1980. His campaign received a largest vote total for a third-party presidential candidacy since Ralph Nader's 2000 campaign.


2016 Libertarian Party presidential primaries, Timeline of the race, January 2015 to January 2016: Early candidates
On January 7, physician Marc Allen Feldman became one of the first candidates to enter the race for the 2016 nomination. Over the following months, candidacies were announced by Joy Waymire, Cecil Ince, Steve Kerbel, Shawna Joy Sterling, Derrick Michael Reid, and Rhett Smith. In early September, candidates entering the race included John David Hale, Jack Robinson Jr, and Austin Petersen.


2016 Libertarian Party presidential primaries, Timeline of the race, January 2015 to January 2016: Early candidates
On December 24, 2015, antivirus software pioneer John McAfee abandoned his previous effort to run as the candidate of a newly created Cyber Party, and announced he would instead seek the Libertarian nomination. He had previously announced that his Cyber Party running mate would be Ken Rutkowski, but Rutkowski did not join him in seeking the Libertarian nomination.


2016 Libertarian Party presidential primaries, Timeline of the race, January 2015 to January 2016: Early candidates
Gary Johnson formally announced his candidacy for the 2016 Libertarian presidential nomination, in an interview with Neil Cavuto on the Fox Business Network program Coast to Coast, on January 6, 2016.


2016 Libertarian Party presidential primaries, Timeline of the race, April 2016: Top tier emerges
Though the Libertarian Party has little to no scientific polling and does not conduct binding primaries and caucuses, the first nationally televised pre-nominating convention Libertarian Party debate featured three candidates widely regarded as the leading contenders for the nomination: former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson, founder and CEO of McAfee Inc. John McAfee and owner and founder of The Libertarian Republic Austin Petersen. A later debate hosted by RT America featured Marc Allan Feldman, Kevin McCormick, and Darryl Perry, however this did not receive as much media attention as the one featuring the three candidates in the top tier.


2016 Libertarian Party presidential primaries, Timeline of the race, Early May 2016: Ventura declines to run
In several late 2015 interviews including those on The Alan Colmes Show and In Depth with Graham Bensinger, Jesse Ventura publicly flirted with the idea of running for president in 2016 as a Libertarian. Beginning on February 29, 2016, Ventura again made headlines following an announcement that if Bernie Sanders were to lose the Democratic Party nomination to Hillary Clinton, he would launch a presidential campaign under the Libertarian Party. Ventura subsequently appeared on RT, CNN, Alex Jones and various local radio outlets the following several days reiterating interest in a presidential campaign. He likewise revealed that he was formally invited to the 2016 Libertarian National Convention in Orlando, Florida by party leaders and that he would announce by the end of March if he were to go that route.


2016 Libertarian Party presidential primaries, Timeline of the race, Early May 2016: Ventura declines to run
On March 3, 2016 Ventura released a shortlist of preliminary campaign platforms if he were to run for president. Included were rebuilding infrastructure, focusing on alternative energy, ending all foreign wars and following the teachings of Major General Smedley Butler, ending the war on drugs and reforming campaign financing. Ventura ultimately decided not to seek the presidency, allowing his self determined deadline of May 1 to pass without an announcement. In mid-July, Ventura wrote an article declaring his support for Gary Johnson.


2016 Libertarian Party presidential primaries, Timeline of the race, Late May 2016: Johnson consolidates support
After Donald Trump won the Indiana primary on May 3, Texas Senator Ted Cruz and Ohio Governor John Kasich suspended their campaigns, Donald Trump became the presumptive nominee for the Republican Party. This sparked the Stop Trump movement, also referred to as #NeverTrump to consider running an independent candidate of their own such as former Texas governor Rick Perry, former Republican nominee Mitt Romney or Nebraska senator Ben Sasse, all of whom declined to run.


2016 Libertarian Party presidential primaries, Timeline of the race, Late May 2016: Johnson consolidates support
As the filing deadline for Texas and other states quickly passed, the Libertarian Party gained national recognition when Gary Johnson was included in a national poll conducted by Monmouth University and received 11 percent. Johnson was quickly deemed the front-runner for the Libertarian Party presidential nomination and was featured in subsequent polls. Johnson's name was also Googled more times than the Libertarian Party itself, and he was featured in many interviews by mainstream media publications, something that none of the other Libertarian candidates had been able to do thus far in the campaign. During the 2016 Libertarian National Convention various news networks flocked to the convention, and CSPAN covered the results. Johnson won nomination on the second ballot of the convention.


2016 Libertarian Party presidential primaries, Polling, 2016 online polling
*Darryl W. Perry allegedly paid participants to "stuff" the poll, after which extra security measures were implemented and his name was excluded from future polls. Therefore, this result of 10.7% is not authentic.


2016 Libertarian Party presidential primaries, Primaries and caucuses, Minnesota caucuses
The Minnesota caucus was run on March 1, 2016, using ranked choice voting. Gary Johnson took over 75% of the 226 first-preference votes cast, with John McAfee second on 12% and Austin Petersen third on 8%.


2016 Libertarian Party presidential primaries, Primaries and caucuses, Missouri primary
The Missouri primary ran on March 15, 2016, alongside those of the Republican, Democratic, and Constitution parties. 40% of the electorate voted to stand uncommitted to any candidate. Austin Petersen, running in his home state, finished second with 29% of the statewide vote, which was double that of Steve Kerbel from Colorado, who finished third with 14%. Petersen comfortably won the support of voters in the state's capital, Jefferson City, and its surrounding counties, but fell heavily behind the uncommitted vote in the state's two largest cities, Kansas City and St. Louis.


2016 Libertarian Party presidential primaries, Primaries and caucuses, Missouri primary
Kerbel won three counties around Springfield, while Marc Allan Feldman, Cecil Ince, and Rhett Smith all won a sprawl of counties across the state; in most of these counties, however, only a single vote was cast. No votes were cast for Libertarian Party candidates in the northwestern counties of Harrison, Holt, Mercer, and Worth.


2016 Libertarian Party presidential primaries, Primaries and caucuses, North Carolina primary
The North Carolina primary was also run on March 15, 2016, and also alongside the primaries of the Republican, Democratic, and Constitution parties. Gary Johnson won against competing candidates with 42% of the primary vote, overcoming 35% of the electorate who remained uncommitted to any candidate, and far ahead of third-place finisher John David Hale with 6%. Most urban counties showed majority support for Johnson, particularly in the state's largest city, Charlotte, and its capital, Raleigh, while uncommitted votes mostly came from rural counties across the state.


2016 Libertarian Party presidential primaries, Primaries and caucuses, North Carolina primary
Many counties were tied between Johnson and the uncommitted vote, but a number of counties in the east recorded ties between Johnson and other candidates such as John David Hale and Joy Waymire, albeit with a small number of votes. In Gates County, a four-way tie was recorded when Gary Johnson, Cecil Ince, and Derrick Michael Reid recorded one vote each, with an additional uncommitted voter accounted for. Tyrrell was the only county in the entire state where Johnson did not win or tie; instead Hale tied with an uncommitted voter, with one vote each.


2016 Libertarian Party presidential primaries, Primaries and caucuses, Nebraska primary
The Nebraska primary was held on May 10, 2016. Independents and registered Libertarians were allowed to vote in the state's Libertarian primary. The Nebraska Primary marked the third largest victory for the Johnson campaign, despite the most recent poll having shown him only 1% above Petersen nationally.


2016 Libertarian Party presidential primaries, Primaries and caucuses, Oregon primary
The Oregon primary was completed on May 27, 2016, the last day to receive mail-in ballots.


2016 Libertarian Party presidential primaries, Primaries and caucuses, California primary
In the California primary on June 7, the Libertarian Party appeared alongside the Republicans, Democrats, the Green Party (as part of their own series of primaries), the American Independent Party and the Peace and Freedom Party.


2016 Libertarian Party presidential primaries, Primaries and caucuses, California primary
This non-binding primary took place after the 2016 Libertarian National Convention.


2016 Libertarian Party presidential primaries, 2016 National Convention
No candidate achieved the majority on the first ballot, so there was a second ballot vote. After finishing last of the six nominated candidates, McCormick was excluded from the second ballot.


2016 Libertarian Party presidential primaries, Campaign finance
As of March 31, 2016 three candidates have reported their fundraising amounts to the Federal Election Commission; Gary Johnson, John McAfee and Austin Petersen.


2016 Libertarian Party presidential primaries, Vice presidential selection
As of May 21, 2016, there were nine vice presidential candidates running.


2016 Libertarian Party presidential primaries, Vice presidential selection
The Libertarian Party's vice presidential candidate is elected by the delegates at the LNC after the presidential nominee is announced. Vice presidential candidates are often endorsed or preferred by presidential candidates, but some have entered without a specific presidential nominee in mind, or a preference from any of them.


2016 Libertarian Party presidential primaries, Vice presidential selection
Bill Weld, former Governor of Massachusetts, was nominated for Vice President after having previously been announced as Johnson's intended running mate. The selection proved controversial within the party, but also resulted in a spike in media coverage of the prospective ticket. Two governors running as a ticket attracted attention, in part because it had not happened for any party since the 1948 United States presidential election.


2016 Libertarian Party presidential primaries, Vice presidential selection
As with Johnson in the presidential nomination, Weld narrowly failed to secure a majority on the first ballot. He was nominated on the second ballot, defeating runner-up Larry Sharpe.


2016 Liberty Bowl (December)
The 2016 Liberty Bowl was a post-season American college football bowl game played on December 30, 2016, at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee. The 58th edition of the Liberty Bowl featured the Georgia Bulldogs of the Southeastern Conference against the TCU Horned Frogs of the Big 12 Conference. It was one of the 2016–17 bowl games concluding the 2016 FBS football season. Sponsored by automobile parts and accessories store AutoZone, it was officially known as the AutoZone Liberty Bowl.


2016 Liberty Bowl (December), Teams
The game featured conference tie-ins from the Southeastern Conference and the Big 12 Conference.


2016 Liberty Bowl (January)
The 2016 Liberty Bowl was a post-season American college football bowl game played on January 2, 2016, at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee. The 57th edition of the Liberty Bowl featured the Kansas State Wildcats of the Big 12 Conference against the Arkansas Razorbacks of the Southeastern Conference. It began at 2:20 p.m. CST and aired on ESPN. It was one of the 2015–16 bowl games that concluded the 2015 FBS football season. Sponsored by automobile parts and accessories store AutoZone, it was officially known as the AutoZone Liberty Bowl.


2016 Liberty Bowl (January), Teams
The game featured the Kansas State Wildcats against the Arkansas Razorbacks.


2016 Liberty Bowl (January), Teams, Kansas State Wildcats
After finishing their season 6–6, the Wildcats accepted their invitation to play in the game.


2016 Liberty Bowl (January), Teams, Arkansas Razorbacks
After finishing their season 7–5, the Razorbacks accepted their invitation to play in the game.


2016 Liberty Bowl (January), Teams, Arkansas Razorbacks
This was the Razorbacks' fifth Liberty Bowl, giving them the new record for most appearances in the game. The Razorbacks are now 2–3 all-time in the Liberty Bowl, losing the 1971 Liberty Bowl to Tennessee 14–13, then losing the 1984 Liberty Bowl to Auburn 21–15, losing the 1987 Liberty Bowl to Georgia 20–17, and finally winning the 2010 Liberty Bowl over East Carolina 20–17 in overtime.


2016 Liberty Bowl (January), Game summary, Statistics
Arkansas running back Alex Collins was named the game's MVP, after gaining 185 yards and 3 touchdowns on 23 carries.


2016 Liberty Flames football team
The 2016 Liberty Flames football team represented Liberty University in the 2016 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by fifth-year head coach Turner Gill and played their home games at Williams Stadium. They were a member of the Big South Conference. They finished the season 6–5, 4–1 in Big South play to share the conference championship with Charleston Southern. Despite the conference title, the Flames were not invited to the FCS playoffs.


2016 Libyan Premier League
The 2015–16 season of the Libyan Premier League is the forty-fourth edition of the country's top level association football league since its inception in 1963. It came two and a half years after the last competition was held by the Libyan Football Federation (LFF) due to the security concerns and general unrest throughout the country during the Libyan Crisis and Libyan civil war (2014–present).


2016 Libyan Premier League
Several meeting between the LFF and club representatives were held in the beginning of 2016 to arrange for the re-launch of the competition and it was agreed that the league would commence on 15 May with 21 participating teams. In contrast to the previous seasons, the league is divided into two groups; one for clubs from the eastern region of Libya and one for the clubs from the western region with a Playoffs system held to determine the champion.


2016 Libyan Premier League, Teams
Due to the situation in Libya in mid-2016 and the difficulty in air-travel, the participating teams were grouped by their geographical location. Teams from each group were scheduled to play every team from their group in a one-legged match with 3 points given for a win and 1 point for a draw. The two teams from group A and the three teams from group B with the highest ranking within their group would then face off in a Single-elimination tournament to determine the champions.


2016 Libyan Premier League, Stadiums
Neutral stadiums were identified within each region to host group games.


2016 Libyan Premier League, Championship round
After 9 rounds in Group A, the two highest ranking teams move on to the Championship Round. Similarly, after 11 rounds in Group B, the three highest ranking teams move on to the Championship Round. The first matches in the Championship Round was played in 28 October.


2016 Liechtenstein Family Allowances Act referendum
A referendum on amendments to the Family Allowances Act was held in Liechtenstein on 18 September 2016. The amendments were rejected by 82% of voters.


2016 Liechtenstein Family Allowances Act referendum, Background
The amendments to the Family Allowances Act would introduce paid maternity leave for 20 weeks, financed by companies, although they would not have to pay the health insurance during this period. They would also introduce daily rates for child care centres.


2016 Liechtenstein Family Allowances Act referendum, Background
A referendum was forced after the Chamber of Commerce collected 1,179 signatures between 8 April and 11 May 2016. After validation, 1,144 were deemed valid, meeting the requirement of article 64 of the constitution for at least 1,000 signatures.


2016 Liechtenstein Family Allowances Act referendum, Background
The Landtag approved the holding of a referendum on 9 June by a vote of 13–12, making a referendum optional rather than compulsory. A second vote on an amendment by the Progressive Citizens' Party passing by 19 votes to six nonetheless agree on organising the referendum. The government set the date of the referendum on 14 June.


2016 Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito season
Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito's 2015 season was the club's 86th year of existence, the 63rd year in professional football, and the 55th in the top level of professional football in Ecuador.


2016 Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito season, Squad information
Liga's squad for the season is allowed a maximum of four foreign players at any one time, and a maximum of six throughout the season. The jersey numbers in the main table (directly below) refer to the number on their domestic league jersey.


2016 Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito season, Squad information
Note: Caps and goals are of the national league and are current as of the beginning of the season.


2016 Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito season, Competitions, Serie A
The 2016 season was Liga's 55th season in the Serie A and their 15th consecutive. The format is identical to the previous season.


2016 Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito season, Competitions, Copa Libertadores
L.D.U. Quito qualified to the 2016 Copa Libertadores—their 17th participation in the continental tournament—as the runner-up of the 2015 Serie A. They entered the competition in the second stage and were placed in Group 6 with San Lorenzo, Grêmio and Toluca.


2016 Liga Dominicana de Fútbol season
The 2016 Liga Dominicana de Fútbol season (known as the LDF Banco Popular for sponsorship reasons) is the 2nd season of professional football in the Dominican Republic. Club Atlético Pantoja are the reigning champions, having won their first title last year.


2016 Liga Dominicana de Fútbol season, Stadia and locations
Each team will play 18 matches in the regular season, the 4 teams with most points qualify to the playoffs. The champion will be decided in a single-legged final.


2016 Liga Futebol Amadora
The 2016 Liga Futebol Amadora is the first season of the Liga Futebol Amadora. The season began on 25 February 2016. The Primeira Divisão began on February 25 and finished on July 24, while the Segunda Divisão began on March 8 and was finished in the final match on June 28. All games are played at the Dili Municipal Stadium.


2016 Liga Futebol Amadora, Primera Divisao, Teams
After qualifying the playoffs, there are 8 teams that will play in this league.


2016 Liga Futebol Amadora, Segunda Divisao, Teams
After qualifying the playoffs, there are 13 teams that will play in this league.


2016 Liga Nacional de Fútbol de Puerto Rico
The 2016 Liga Nacional de Fútbol de Puerto Rico would have been the 8th season of Puerto Rico's top-division football league.


2016 Liga Nacional de Fútbol de Puerto Rico
The 2016 season was cancelled. The final of the 2016 Copa Luis Villarejo served as the qualifier for the 2017 CFU Club Championship.


2016 Ligas Superiores del Peru
The 2016 Ligas Superiores, the fifth division of Peruvian football (soccer), will be played by variable number teams by Departament. The tournaments will be played on a home-and-away round-robin basis.


2016 Ligue 1 (Congo)
The 2016 Ligue 1 is the 49th season of Ligue 1, the top professional league for association football clubs in the Republic of the Congo, since its establishment in 1961.


2016 Ligue 1 (Congo)
The league was abandoned in both 2014 and 2015, due to financial problems and club boycotts, respectively. AC Léopards is the defending champion from the 2013 season.


2016 Ligue 1 (Congo), Clubs
A total of 20 teams will contest the league after expanding from 18 teams with the promotion of Jeunes Fauves and Kimbonguila Kinkala from Ligue 2. Pigeon Vert was also promoted to Ligue 1 when FC Bilombé withdrew from the league.


2016 Ligue Haïtienne season
The 2016 Ligue Haïtienne season was the 53rd season of top-tier football in Haiti. It began on 21 February 2016. The league is split into two tournaments—the Série d'Ouverture and the Série de Clôture—each with identical formats and each contested by the same 18 teams.


2016 Ligue Haïtienne season
In a change from last year, the number of teams in the league has been reduced from 20 to 18.


2016 Ligue Haïtienne season, Teams
At the end of the 2015 season, the bottom 4 teams in the aggregate table; Valencia, PNH, US Lajeune, and Racine FC; were relegated to the Haitian second level leagues. Replacing them were two clubs from the Haitian second level leagues; Réal du Cap and Juventus.


2016 Ligue Haïtienne season, Série d'Ouverture
The 2016 Série d'Ouverture began on 20 February 2016 and ended on 28 May 2016.


2016 Ligue Haïtienne season, Série de Clôture
The 2016 Série de Clôture began on 12 August 2016 and ended on 24 December 2016.


2016 Ligue Haïtienne season, Trophée des Champions
This match is contested between the winner of the Série d'Ouverture and the winner of the Série de Clôture.


2016 Ligue de Football de Saint Pierre et Miquelon
The 2016 Ligue de Football de Saint Pierre et Miquelon was the 31st season of top-division football in Saint Pierre and Miquelon. Three clubs competed in the league: AS Saint Pierraise, A.S. Miquelonnaise and A.S. Ilienne Amateur. The three teams played each other eight times, composing of a 16-match season starting on 28 May 2016 and ending on 10 September 2016.


2016 Ligue de Football de Saint Pierre et Miquelon
Saint Pierraise won the league title, amassing the best record after 16 matches.


2016 Lillestrøm SK season
The 2016 season is Lillestrøm's 40th consecutive year in Tippeligaen and their second with Rúnar Kristinsson as manager.


2016 Lillestrøm SK season, Squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2016 Lillestrøm SK season, Squad, Out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2016 Lillestrøm SK season, Transfers, Winter
In:Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2016 Lillestrøm SK season, Transfers, Winter
Out:Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2016 Lillestrøm SK season, Transfers, Summer
In:Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2016 Lillestrøm SK season, Transfers, Summer
Out:Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2016 Lima Challenger
The 2016 Lima Challenger is a professional tennis tournament played on clay courts. It is the tenth edition of the tournament which is part of the 2016 ATP Challenger Tour. It takes place in Lima, Peru between October 24 and October 30, 2016.


2016 Lima Challenger, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2016 Lima Challenger – Doubles
Andrej Martin and Hans Podlipnik were the defending champions but only Podlipnik chose to defend his title, partnering Andrés Molteni. Podlipnik lost in the first round to Mauricio Echazú and Michael Linzer.


2016 Lima Challenger – Doubles
Sergio Galdós and Leonardo Mayer won the title after defeating Ariel Behar and Gonzalo Lama 6–2, 7–6(9–7) in the final.


2016 Lima Challenger – Singles
Gastão Elias was the defending champion but lost in the first round to André Ghem.


2016 Lima Challenger – Singles
Christian Garín won the title after defeating Guido Andreozzi 3–6, 7–5, 7–6(7–3) in the final.


2016 Limerick Premier Intermediate Hurling Championship
The 2016 Limerick Premier Intermediate Hurling Championship was the third staging of the Limerick Premier Intermediate Hurling Championship since its establishment by the Limerick County Board in 2014.


2016 Limerick Premier Intermediate Hurling Championship
On 8 October 2016, Monaleen won the championship after a 1-17 to 2-11 defeat of Cappamore in the final at FitzGerald Park. It was their first ever championship title in this grade.


2016 Limerick Senior Hurling Championship
The 2016 Limerick Senior Hurling Championship was the 122nd staging of the Limerick Senior Hurling Championship since its establishment by the Limerick County Board. The championship began on 7 May 2016 and ended on 23 October 2016.


2016 Limerick Senior Hurling Championship
Na Piarsaigh were the defending champions, however, they failed to make it out of the group stage.


2016 Limerick Senior Hurling Championship
On 23 October 2016, Patrickswell won the championship after a 1-26 to 1-07 defeat of Ballybrown in the final. It was their first championship title since 2003 and a record-equalling 19th championship title overall.


2016 Lindenwood Lions football team
The 2016 Lindenwood Lions football team represented Lindenwood University in the 2016 NCAA Division II football season. The Lions played their home games at Harlen C. Hunter Stadium in St. Charles, Missouri, as they have done since 1990. 2016 was the 27th season in school history. The Lions were led by thirteenth-year head coach, Patrick Ross. Lindenwood has been a member of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association since 2012.


2016 Lindenwood Lions football team, Preseason
The Lions entered the 2016 season after a 3–8 record in 2015 under Ross. On August 2, 2016 at the MIAA Football Media Day, the Lions were chosen to finish in 11th place in the Coaches Poll, and 9th in the Media Poll.


2016 Lindenwood Lions football team, Postseason
After another losing season and no success in the NCAA Division II since 2012, Ross was relieved of his duties on November 15, 2016. He was 93–57 at Lindenwood.


2016 Lipa local elections
Local elections was held in Lipa City on May 9, 2016 within the Philippine general election. The voters will elect candidates for the elective local posts in the city: the mayor, vice mayor, the congressman (which will represent Batangas' sixth district which is composed of just the city), two provincial board members, and the 12 members of its city council.


2016 Lipa local elections
Unlike in the 2013 elections, voters of the city will be electing its first member in the House of Representatives, two representatives to the Batangas provincial board, and two more councilors thus bringing the councilors' total to 12 as opposed to the previous 10.


2016 Lipa local elections, Background, Mayoral and Vice Mayoral elections
Incumbent Mayor Meynardo Sabili is running for his third and final term as Mayor of the City of Lipa. He assumed the mayorship in 2010, defeating then-incumbent and former 4th District Representative Oscar Gozos. This is despite Sabili's disqualification to run because of residency dispute. Sabili, a former Provincial Board Member used to be a registered voter Barangay Sico 1, San Juan, Batangas and transferred to Barangay Pinagtong-Ulan, Lipa City. However, the Supreme Court annulled and dismissed the Commission on Elections' ruling on Sabili's cancellation of his Certificate of Candidacy.


2016 Lipa local elections, Background, Mayoral and Vice Mayoral elections
He was initially known to be running under National Unity Party (NUP), with three-term councilor Raul Montealto as his running mate. (Montealto was Barangay Captain of Bugtong na Pulo before elected as Councilor in 2007.).


2016 Lipa local elections, Background, Mayoral and Vice Mayoral elections
However, NUP withdrew their nomination of Team Sabili due to its membership of the Koalisyong Matuwid na Daan (known as Koalisyon ng Daang Matuwid), where the party has to endorse Liberal Party-nominated candidates even under the local level; therefore Sabili and his team will run as independents; hence Sabili's coalition was supported by Partido Galing at Puso of Poe-Escudero tandem, while Mendoza's coalition was supported by the aforementioned Liberal coalition (where Sabili's last party's nominee in the 2013 mid-term elections).


2016 Lipa local elections, Background, Mayoral and Vice Mayoral elections
His opponent is Fiscal Edgardo "Gary" Mendoza who is running under the Liberal Party, the party of incumbent Governor and former City Mayor Vilma Santos-Recto. His running mate is incumbent Vice Mayor Eric Africa. Africa was elected councilor from 1998 to 2007 then from 2010 until he was elected Vice Mayor in 2013.


2016 Lipa local elections, Background, Mayoral and Vice Mayoral elections, Congressional election
Incumbent Governor and former Mayor Vilma Santos-Recto, who is barred for another term decided to run as for a seat at the new 6th legislative district of Batangas, which only comprises the City of Lipa. The city was a part of the 4th District of Batangas from 1987. This despite of the call of supporters to run for a much higher position, especially as the Vice Presidential candidate of Mar Roxas. Recto became its first female City Mayor from 1998 until she was elected first female Governor of Batangas in 2007.


2016 Lipa local elections, Background, Mayoral and Vice Mayoral elections, Congressional election
Her main opponent is Bernadette Sabili, wife of Mayor Meynard Sabili. Sabili first ran as Representative of the 4th District of Batangas, but was defeated by incumbent Representative Mark Llandro Mendoza. However, NUP withdrew her nomination due to its membership of the Koalisyong Matuwid na Daan, where the party has to endorse Liberal Party-nominated candidates even under the local level; therefore Sabili will run as independent.


2016 Lipa local elections, Candidates, Mayor
Incumbent Mayor Meynardo Sabili is running for reelection. His opponent is fiscal Edgardo Mendoza.


2016 Lipa local elections, Candidates, Vice Mayor
Incumbent Eric Africa is running for reelection. His opponent is incumbent councilor Raul Montealto.


2016 Liqui Moly Bathurst 12 Hour
The 2016 Liqui Moly Bathurst 12 Hour was an endurance race for a variety of GT and touring car classes, including: GT3 cars, GT4 cars and Group 3E Series Production Cars. The event, which was staged at the Mount Panorama Circuit, near Bathurst, in New South Wales, Australia on 7 February 2016, was the fourteenth running of the Bathurst 12 Hour. It was also the opening round of the 2016 Intercontinental GT Challenge Series.


2016 Liqui Moly Bathurst 12 Hour
37 cars were entered for the race and 36 cars started the race, with one entry withdrawn following a crash in practice. Álvaro Parente, Shane van Gisbergen and Jonathon Webb won the event driving a McLaren 650S GT3. Despite 13 safety car periods, the race ended with 297 laps completed, a race record distance.


2016 Liqui Moly Bathurst 12 Hour, Class structure
Class C was also available for entry for GT4 cars, however due to lack of entries, the sole Class C car entered was merged into Class I.


2016 Liqui Moly Bathurst 12 Hour, Official results
– The #93 MARC Cars Australia entry was listed in both the official entry list and the official results as a MARC Focus GTC but it was actually a MARC Mazda3 GTC. – Will Bamber was unable to drive in the race following a crash during the qualifying session. – Greame Dowsett was unable to drive in the race following a pre-race injury. He was replaced by Nick Foster


2016 Lithuanian Football Cup
The 2016 Lithuanian Football Cup was the twenty-eighth season of the Lithuanian annual football knock-out tournament.


2016 Lithuanian Football Cup
This season was the first time the tournament was played during a single calendar year since the regulations changed in 2007, and the final was played in September 2016.


2016 Lithuanian Football Cup
The winners will qualify for the first qualifying round of the 2017–18 UEFA Europa League.


2016 Lithuanian Football Cup, Final
The final took place on 25 September 2016, in the Central Stadium of Klaipėda


2016 Lithuanian parliamentary election
Parliamentary elections were held in Lithuania on 9 and 23 October 2016 to elect the 141 members of the Seimas. 71 were elected in single-member constituencies using the two-round system, and the remaining 70 in a single nationwide constituency using proportional representation. The first round was held on 9 October and the second round on 23 October.


2016 Lithuanian parliamentary election
The elections were won by the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union with 22.45% of the popular vote and 54 seats, up from just 4.05% and a single seat in the previous elections in 2012. The success of the party was attributed to voter dissatisfaction with established parties in light of low wages and persistent emigration. Homeland Union, the largest opposition party in the preceding Seimas, finished a distant second with 31 seats, though winning a slightly larger share of the national vote.


2016 Lithuanian parliamentary election
The parties of the outgoing government suffered major losses, falling from 78 seats to 28. The Social Democratic Party of Lithuania, which had been the largest party prior to the elections, lost over half its seats and finished in third place with 17. Their coalition partner the Labour Party fared even worse, falling from 29 seats to just 2. Order and Justice won 8 seats, down from 11.


2016 Lithuanian parliamentary election, Background
The 2012 parliamentary elections were held on 14 October 2012, with the run-off on 28 October. The elections were won by the Social Democratic Party of Lithuania, which took 38 seats in the 141-member Eleventh Seimas. Social Democrats were joined in the coalition government by Labour, Order and Justice and the Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania. The Polish party withdrew from the government in 2014.


2016 Lithuanian parliamentary election, Background
The resulting government was headed by the leader of the Social Democrats, Algirdas Butkevičius, as the Prime Minister.


2016 Lithuanian parliamentary election, Electoral system
The Seimas has 141 members, elected to a four-year term in parallel voting, with 71 members elected in single-member constituencies and 70 members elected by proportional representation in a single nationwide constituency. Voting in the elections is open to all citizens of Lithuania who are at least 18-years-old.


2016 Lithuanian parliamentary election, Electoral system
Members of the Seimas from the 71 single-member constituencies are elected by a majority vote. A candidate is elected in the first round if he or she obtains an absolute majority of all votes cast (including blank/invalid votes) in given constituency and turnout there is at least 40%. If these criteria are not fulfilled, a run-off between the two highest-placed candidates is held within 15 days. In the second round, the candidate who obtains the most votes is elected (an absolute majority is not required), but if turnout in a given constituency is under 40% again, the whole election process there is repeated.


2016 Lithuanian parliamentary election, Electoral system
The remaining 70 seats are allocated to the participating political parties using the largest remainder method. In the nationwide constituency, party lists need to receive at least 5% (7% for multi-party electoral lists) of the total votes cast (including blank/invalid votes) to be eligible for a seat (irrespective of the number of seats gained in single-member constituencies). Candidates take the seats allocated to their parties based on the preference lists submitted before the elections and adjusted by preference votes given by the voters.


2016 Lithuanian parliamentary election, Electoral system
To be eligible for election, candidates must be at least 25 years old on the election day, not under allegiance to a foreign state and permanently resident in Lithuania. Persons serving or due to serve a sentence imposed by the court 65 days before the elections are not eligible. Also, judges, citizens performing military service, and servicemen of professional military service and officials of statutory institutions and establishments may not stand for election. In addition, a person who has been removed from office through impeachment may not be elected.


2016 Lithuanian parliamentary election, Electoral system, Changes before the elections
The 71 single-seat constituencies in Lithuania were drawn in 1992, based on the principle that the number of voters in each constituency should be between 90 and 110 percent of the average number of voters per constituency. As the demographic situation changed, the law was adjusted to allow a deviation in the range from 80 and 120 percent, in order to avoid major changes to constituency boundaries.


2016 Lithuanian parliamentary election, Electoral system, Changes before the elections
In October 2015, the Constitutional Court of Lithuania decided that the existing system, which allows the largest constituency to be as much as 50% larger than the smallest one, is unconstitutional, since it does not give sufficiently equal weight to all votes. The court stated that the constituencies should be redrawn in such a way that the number of voters in each constituency is between 90 and 110 percent of the average.


2016 Lithuanian parliamentary election, Electoral system, Changes before the elections
The decision of the Constitutional Court was implemented in December 2015, when the new constituencies were announced. Major changes included two additional constituencies in Vilnius.


2016 Lithuanian parliamentary election, Campaign, Announcement
On 7 April 2016 the President of Lithuania, Dalia Grybauskaitė, officially announced 9 October 2016 as the election date. The announcement, which came into effect on 9 April 2016, launched the election campaign, allowing the potential participants to register for the elections, raise funds and campaign in public.


2016 Lithuanian parliamentary election, Campaign, Campaign financing
In January 2016, the Central Electoral Commission announced the spending limits for political campaigns in 2016. A party participating in the elections in the nationwide constituency could spend a total of 770 thousand euros on the campaign. Participants in the election races in single-seat constituencies could spend between 18 and 22 thousand euros, depending on the size of the constituency. As a result, a political party with candidates in every single-seat constituency could spend just over 2.2 million euros on its election campaign.


2016 Lithuanian parliamentary election, Campaign, Campaign financing
Only citizens of Lithuania could contribute financially to the election campaigns. Each citizen could contribute up to 7,570 euros to a candidate, as long as their total contributions during the year did not exceed 10% of their stated annual income. A candidate could contribute up to 15,140 euros to their own election campaign.


2016 Lithuanian parliamentary election, Campaign, Participating parties
23 political parties were eligible to participate in the elections, having submitted their membership rolls before 1 March 2016, in compliance with legal requirements. 16 political parties registered for the elections before the deadline on 5 August 2016. 12 of them participated in the elections independently, while the remaining 4 formed two separate electoral coalitions, bringing the total number of electoral lists to 14, down from 18 in 2012. The electoral lists were assigned numbers in a random draw on 25 August.


2016 Lithuanian parliamentary election, Campaign, Participating parties
Over the year preceding the elections, six political parties consistently polled above the 5 percent threshold for seats in the nationwide constituency: Social Democrats, Homeland Union, Liberal Movement, Farmers and Greens Union, Labour, and Order and Justice.


2016 Lithuanian parliamentary election, Campaign, Participating parties
After their election victory in 2012, the Social Democrats led the governing coalition, with Algirdas Butkevičius as Prime Minister. Butkevičius, his government and the Social Democrats maintained very high approval ratings among the public and performed well in the elections to the European parliament in 2014 (where they finished a close second) and the municipal elections in 2015 (where they won the most mandates and mayoral posts). Their ratings suffered in 2016, damaged by a corruption scandal related to construction in protected areas near Druskininkai, but the Social Democrats remained the most popular party according to opinion polls. The electoral program of the party was focused on spreading the benefits of the growing economy by increasing salaries and retirement benefits.


2016 Lithuanian parliamentary election, Campaign, Participating parties
Homeland Union was the largest opposition party in the Eleventh Seimas. Andrius Kubilius, who had led the first government in modern Lithuanian history to survive a full term in office, did not seek another term as leader of the party. In 2015 he was replaced by Gabrielius Landsbergis, the grandson of the patriarch of the party, Vytautas Landsbergis. The party surprised political observers by winning the largest share of the vote in the European Parliament elections in 2014 and tended to outperform the opinion polls due to the higher participation rate among their supporters. The program of the party promised higher quality public services and reduced bureaucratic waste, new well-paid employment opportunities and improved public education.


2016 Lithuanian parliamentary election, Campaign, Participating parties
The Liberal Movement had emerged as one of the main political forces in Lithuania, finishing a close third in the European Parliament elections in 2014 and the municipal elections in 2015. Until May 2016, the party was consistently the second most popular party in opinion polls (behind only the Social Democrats) and was seen as the most likely coalition partner for both the Social Democrats and Homeland Union. The party lost most of its support after its leader, Eligijus Masiulis, was accused of taking a substantial bribe from one of the leading business groups in the country. Masiulis promptly resigned and was eventually replaced by the mayor of Vilnius, Remigijus Šimašius. As part of its platform, the party proposed a smaller government, lower taxes (especially VAT) and more flexible labor relationships. The party also expressed support for same-sex unions in Lithuania.


2016 Lithuanian parliamentary election, Campaign, Participating parties
Lithuanian Peasant Popular Union rebranded itself as the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union (LVŽS) in 2012. Led by businessman Ramūnas Karbauskis, the party received 6.6% of the vote in the European Parliament elections in 2014, earning a single mandate, and emerged as a dark horse in the electoral race in the spring of 2016. The rise of LVŽS was attributed to the popularity of Karbauskis, who had been active in campaigning against alcohol, and their lack of involvement in political scandals.


2016 Lithuanian parliamentary election, Campaign, Participating parties
LVŽS was further boosted by the announcement that Saulius Skvernelis, a Minister of Interior in Butkevičius Cabinet and one of the most popular politicians in Lithuania, would head the party's electoral list in the elections, without joining the party. Before the elections, the party ruled out the possibility of participating in a ruling coalition which involved Labour or Order and Justice.


2016 Lithuanian parliamentary election, Campaign, Participating parties
The Labour Party was led in the elections by Valentinas Mazuronis, an MEP who had originally been elected to the European Parliament on the electoral list of Order and Justice. Labour was the second-largest party in Lithuania in terms of members, but had been plagued by accusations of fraudulent bookkeeping, and by the departure of its founder Viktor Uspaskich. Before the elections, the party promised to fight the influx of refugees into the country, despite the number of refugees actually settled in Lithuania being in single digits. The party also proposed higher pensions and minimum wage, a higher non-taxable allowance, reduced VAT rates on food and medicine and one-off payouts to those reaching the age of maturity.


2016 Lithuanian parliamentary election, Campaign, Participating parties
Order and Justice, led by the former President of Lithuania Rolandas Paksas, was also involved in a corruption scandal before the elections. Paksas, who is barred from being elected to the Seimas, was suspected of accepting a bribe from Gedvydas Vainauskas, a media magnate, in exchange for favors related to construction permits. The party proposed to link salaries and pensions to an inflation index, to exempt reinvested profits from corporate income taxes and to create new employment opportunities. Generous payments on childbirth were proposed to address demographic issues.


2016 Lithuanian parliamentary election, Campaign, Participating parties
In total, 1416 candidates competed for Seimas seats in the elections, with 673 participating in the electoral races in single-seat constituencies.


2016 Lithuanian parliamentary election, Campaign, Debates
As before every elections, televised debates took place on the national television channel. The debates took place over 4 weeks from 13 September to 6 October. Representatives from the 14 electoral lists were split into three groups for each week of debates, debating on different days of the week on the same topic. The topics for the four weeks of debates were: economy, demographics, justice and social policy. The parties were mostly represented by the leaders of their electoral lists, with support from other members.


2016 Lithuanian parliamentary election, Campaign, Debates
In May 2016, five political parties (the Social Democrats, the Liberal Movement, the Homeland Union, Labour and the Farmers and Greens Union) agreed to participate in the debates together, leaving out Order and Justice. The agreement remained in place even after the corruption scandal involving the leader of the Liberal Movement, Eligijus Masiulis, and the subsequent slide in the party's ratings.


2016 Lithuanian parliamentary election, Campaign, Debates
The main party debate on economy took place on 14 September 2016. Prime Minister Butkevičius and Gabrielius Landsbergis of the Homeland Union clashed over the responsibility for the high poverty rate, while all parties identified what they saw as the main issues facing the economy. Kęstutis Daukšys of the Labour Party reiterated the promise from the party's electoral program to increase the salaries and pensions while Saulius Skvernelis, representing the Farmers and Greens Union, labeled such promises as populism and proposed to remove it from political decision making by indexing the minimum wage and pensions to economic indicators.


2016 Lithuanian parliamentary election, Campaign, Debates
At the same time Skvernelis proposed and Landsbergis supported reforms to the system of personal taxation, while Eugenijus Gentvilas of the Liberal Movement proposed wide-ranging tax cuts, having asserted that high taxes are one of the main stumbling blocks for economic progress in the country. Experts polled by the National Television judged the debates as a marginal victory for Butkevičius and Social Democrats.


2016 Lithuanian parliamentary election, Campaign, Debates
The main party debate on demographics took place on 22 September 2016. Butkevičius defended the Social Democrats' record in government, which was attacked by the Homeland Union. All parties proposed reforms to the education sector and other measures they see as necessary to reverse the emigration trends. Experts polled by the National Television judged the debates as a marginal victory for Homeland Union, represented by Landsbergis, with Farmers and Greens, represented by Skvernelis, in a close second place. An improved performance from Skvernelis, compared to the first debate, was noted.


2016 Lithuanian parliamentary election, Campaign, Debates
The main party debate on justice took place on 29 September 2016. Experts polled by the National Television judged the debates as a marginal victory for Farmers and Greens, represented by Skvernelis, closely followed by the Homeland Union. Social Democrats, on the other hand, were criticized for failing to propose new ideas, instead of pointing out how situation was already improving.


2016 Lithuanian parliamentary election, Campaign, Debates
The main party debate on social policy took place on 6 October 2016. Candidates presented their positions on social issues and health. At the end of the debate the representatives gave their final statements to voters. Experts polled by the National Television criticized the lack of substantial proposals for reforms in the debate, but judged Farmers and Greens to have performed most convincingly. Homeland Union again finished close second, with Landsbergis' final speech considered as the most successful.


2016 Lithuanian parliamentary election, Results
The election was a surprise victory for Farmers and Greens Union, which won 54 seats in the parliament, after failing to clear the electoral threshold of 5% and winning just one seat in the preceding elections. Including the two candidates that won their single-member constituencies as independents but ran on the party's electoral list in the nationwide constituency, this represented the largest tally by any party in Lithuania in 20 years. Analysts attributed the victory to the desire by the electorate to see new faces in the parliament, in light of low wages and rampant emigration.


2016 Lithuanian parliamentary election, Results
Homeland Union won the largest share of the vote (22.63%) and 20 mandates in the nationwide constituency, improving on their result from 2012. However, a disappointing performance in single-member constituencies, where they picked up only 11 seats, left the party a distant second with 31 seats, two fewer than in the previous elections.


2016 Lithuanian parliamentary election, Results
Government parties suffered a major setback in the elections. Social Democrats, who had been leading the polls consistently since the previous elections, finished third with 15.04% of the vote and 17 seats. Order and Justice finished with 5.72% and 8 seats (down from 7.63% and 11 seats), while Labour Party, which had led the popular vote in the elections of 2012, failed to clear the electoral threshold for proportionally allocated seats and picked up only two seats in single-member constituencies. The failure of government parties has been attributed to sluggish economic growth, scandals that had surfaced over the months preceding the elections and the adoption of a new labour code that was deeply unpopular with voters.


2016 Lithuanian parliamentary election, Results
Algirdas Butkevičius, who was serving as the Prime Minister, lost single-member constituency that he had held since 1996.


2016 Lithuanian parliamentary election, Results, Preference votes
Alongside votes for a party, voters were able to cast a preferential votes for a candidate on the party list.


2016 Lithuanian parliamentary election, Aftermath
Soon after the results of the first round of voting were clear, Mazuronis resigned as the leader of the Labour Party, while Paksas resigned as the leader of Order and Justice. After the second round of voting, Butkevičius also offered his resignation as the chairman of the Social Democrats, but his resignation was rejected. However, Butkevičius ruled out standing for reelection as the chairman in 2017. Landsbergis announced new leadership election in the Homeland Union in early 2017.


2016 Lithuanian parliamentary election, Aftermath
Soon after the election results became clear, the victorious Farmers and Greens started coalition consultations with Homeland Union and the Social Democrats. Farmers and Greens expressed their desire for a broad coalition involving both parties, a concept that Homeland Union ruled out. On 9 November, Farmers and Greens signed a coalition agreement with the Social Democrats, under which the Social Democrats would be allocated 3 of the 14 seats in the cabinet, while Farmers and Greens got the right to nominate the prime minister and the speaker of the Seimas.


2016 Lithuanian parliamentary election, Aftermath
The newly elected Twelfth Seimas convened for its first session on 14 November 2016 and elected Viktoras Pranckietis as the Speaker of the Seimas. On 22 November, President Dalia Grybauskaitė appointed Saulius Skvernelis as the prime minister.


2016 Little League World Series
The 2016 Little League World Series was held from August 18 to August 28 in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Eight teams from the United States and eight from throughout the world competed in the 70th edition of the tournament. The Maine–Endwell Little League of Maine–Endwell, New York, defeated the East Seoul Little League of Seoul, South Korea, in the championship game by a 2–1 score. It was the first Little League World Series title for a team from the United States since 2011, and for the state of New York, the first since 1964.


2016 Little League World Series, Teams
Regional qualifying tournaments will be held between June and August 2016.


2016 Little League World Series, Results
The draw to determine the opening round pairings took place on June 16, 2016.


2016 Little League World Series, Results, Consolation games
Teams that lose their first two games get to play a crossover game against a team from the other side of the bracket that also lost its first two games. These games are labeled Game A and Game B.


2016 Little League World Series, Results, Third place game
This consolation game is played between the loser of the United States championship and the loser of the International championship.


2016 Little League World Series, Champions path
The Maine-Endwell Little League became only the third team from New York state to win the Little League World Series (the others were Schenectady in 1954 and Staten Island in 1964). The MELL reached the LLWS with an undefeated record of 19 wins and no losses; in total, their record was 24–0.


2016 Little League World Series qualification
Qualification for the 2016 Little League World Series took place in eight United States regions and eight international regions from June through August 2016.


2016 Little League World Series qualification, United States, Great Lakes
The tournament began August 7 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Due to inclement weather during the championship game on August 13 and an unfavorable forecast in the following the days, the championship game, in which play was suspended in the top of the second inning, was completed at Howard J. Lamade Stadium in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania on August 15.


2016 Little League World Series qualification, United States, Mid-Atlantic
The tournament took place in Bristol, Connecticut from August 7–13.


2016 Little League World Series qualification, United States, Midwest
The tournament took place in Indianapolis, Indiana from August 7–13.


2016 Little League World Series qualification, United States, Midwest
Note: North Dakota and South Dakota are organized into a single Little League district.


2016 Little League World Series qualification, United States, New England
The tournament took place in Bristol, Connecticut from August 7–13.


2016 Little League World Series qualification, United States, Northwest
The tournament took place in San Bernardino, California from August 7–13.


2016 Little League World Series qualification, United States, Southeast
The tournament took place in Warner Robins, Georgia from August 5–10.


2016 Little League World Series qualification, United States, Southwest
The tournament took place in Waco, Texas from August 4–10.


2016 Little League World Series qualification, United States, West
The tournament took place in San Bernardino, California from August 7–13.


2016 Little League World Series qualification, International, Asia-Pacific and Middle East
The tournament took place in Seoul, South Korea from June 25–July 1.


2016 Little League World Series qualification, International, Asia-Pacific and Middle East
1 Republic of China, commonly known as Taiwan, due to complicated relations with People's Republic of China, is recognized by the name Chinese Taipei by majority of international organizations including Little League Baseball (LLB). For more information, please see Cross-Strait relations.


2016 Little League World Series qualification, International, Australia
The tournament took place in Lismore, New South Wales from June 8–13. The top two teams in each pool advance to the elimination round, where they are seeded one through eight based on overall record.


2016 Little League World Series qualification, International, Canada
The tournament took place in Vancouver, British Columbia from August 4–13. The following teams have qualified to compete in the tournament.


2016 Little League World Series qualification, International, Caribbean
The tournament took place in Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands from July 16–23.


2016 Little League World Series qualification, International, Europe and Africa
The tournament took place in Kutno, Poland from July 15–23. The format of the tournament was a modified double elimination.


2016 Little League World Series qualification, International, Japan
The tournament took place in Ueda, Nagano from July 30–31.


2016 Little League World Series qualification, International, Latin America
The tournament took place in Guatemala City, Guatemala from July 23–30.


2016 Little League World Series qualification, International, Mexico
The tournament took place in Monterrey, Nuevo León from July 9–15.


2016 Little League World Series results
The results of the 2016 Little League World Series was determined between August 18 and August 28, 2016 in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania. 16 teams were divided into two groups, one with eight teams from the United States and another with eight international teams, with both groups playing a modified double-elimination tournament. In each group, the last remaining undefeated team faced the last remaining team with one loss, with the winners of those games advancing to play for the Little League World Series championship.


2016 Liverpool City Council election
The 2016 Liverpool City Council election took place on 5 May 2016 to elect members of Liverpool City Council in England. This was on the same day as the election for the Elected Mayor of Liverpool and the Police and Crime Commissioner for Merseyside.


2016 Liverpool City Council election
Due to the 'in thirds' system of election, one third of the council were up for election, with direct comparisons to previous results made with the corresponding vote at the 2012 Liverpool City Council election. There were two by-elections in Belle Vale and Norris Green wards, so these wards each elected two councillors.


2016 Liverpool City Council election, Council composition
Prior to the election the composition of the council was:


2016 Liverpool City Council election, Changes between 2016 and 2018
The resignation of Labour councillor Helen Casstles (Wavertree, elected 5 May 2016) in March 2017 triggered a by-election:


2016 Liverpool City Council election, Changes between 2016 and 2018
The resignation of Labour councillor Beatrice Fraenkel (Kirkdale, elected 7 May 2015) in March 2017 triggered a by-election:


2016 Liverpool City Council election, Changes between 2016 and 2018
Councillor Frank Prendergast (Everton, elected 2016) resigned the Labour whip in March 2018.


2016 Liverpool City Council election, Changes between 2016 and 2018
Labour councillor Jacqui Taylor (Knotty Ash, elected 2015) resigned from the council in March 2018. A by-election will be held for the seat, term ending 2019, along with the ordinary election for the seat in the ward whose term is up, on 3 May 2018.


2016 Liverpool City Council election, Changes between 2016 and 2018
The death of veteran Labour councillor John McIntosh (Everton, elected 2014) was announced on 29 March 2018. His term would have ended on 3 May 2018 and will be filled at the ordinary election.


2016 Liverpool City Region Labour Party mayoral selection
The Liverpool City Region Labour Party mayoral selection of 2016 was the process by which the Labour Party selected its candidate for Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, to stand in the mayoral election on 4 May 2017.


2016 Liverpool City Region Labour Party mayoral selection
Voting ending on Friday 5 August 2016, with the result to be announced on Wednesday 10 August. Steve Rotheram had called for the voting deadline to be extended until Friday 12 August after delays in issuing ballot papers, but in the event, on 10 August Rotheram was declared the winning candidate.


2016 Liverpool City Region Labour Party mayoral selection, Membership ballot
The results of the selection were announced on 10 August 2016. Turnout was 72%, with 4,955 votes cast, and 83 invalid votes.


2016 Liège–Bastogne–Liège
The 2016 Liège–Bastogne–Liège was a one-day classic cycling race that took place on 24 April 2016. It was the fourth cycling monument of the 2016 season and was the thirteenth event of the 2016 UCI World Tour. The race came at the end of the spring classics season.


2016 Liège–Bastogne–Liège
The race took place on a 248-kilometre (154 mi) route that started in Liège, headed to Bastogne and returned to Liège before ending in Ans. The route included many hills, especially in the final 70 kilometres (43 mi), which were the principal difficulty in the race. Originally the race was scheduled to take place on a 253-kilometre (157 mi) route, but due to the bad weather conditions the race was shortened. Alejandro Valverde (Movistar Team) was the defending champion and was among the favourites for victory, following his victory in La Flèche Wallonne the previous week.


2016 Liège–Bastogne–Liège
The decisive move in the race came in the final classified climb of the day, the Côte de la Rue Naniot, where Michael Albasini (Orica–GreenEDGE) initiated a four-man breakaway. The group contested the sprint for victory, with Wout Poels (Team Sky) winning ahead of Albasini and Lampre–Merida's Rui Costa.


2016 Liège–Bastogne–Liège, Route
Although the majority of the route was the same as in previous years, there were some significant changes to the route compared to the 2015 edition. The Côte de Stockeu, which had previously been part of a trio of climbs that came with 100 kilometres (62 mi) to go to the finish, was omitted due to roadworks. Instead, a new climb was inserted between the Côte de San Nicolas and the finish line in Ans. This climb, the Côte de la Rue Naniot, was in the suburbs of Liège and was a steep, straight, cobbled road. The 600 metres (660 yd) of the climb were at an average gradient of 10.5%; the summit came with 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) to the finish.


2016 Liège–Bastogne–Liège, Route
In general, the route took the riders from the start in Liège south to Bastogne. With 106.5 kilometres (66.2 mi) covered, the route turned to the north and took the riders back to Liège. The second leg of the race was significantly longer at 146.5 kilometres (91.0 mi), taking the riders north-east to Spa before turning west to the finish. The race finished in Ans, just to the west of Liège.


2016 Liège–Bastogne–Liège, Route
Liège–Bastogne–Liège is the last of the three Ardennes classics and is the closing race of the spring classics season. The Ardennes classics are three races that cover courses with many short, steep hills. It is also one of the so-called monuments of the sport, considered to be the most prestigious in cycling. The principal difficulty in the 2016 Liège–Bastogne–Liège came from the ten classified climbs, most of which came in the last part of the race. There was one climb, the Côte de la Roche-en-Ardenne, before the peloton reached Bastogne.


2016 Liège–Bastogne–Liège, Route
After the turn, there was another climb, the Côte de Saint-Roch, before the most difficult section of the race, the final 85 kilometres (53 mi). This included the Côte de Wanne, the Côte de la Haute-Levée, the Col du Rosier and the Col du Maquisard. With 35 kilometres (22 mi) remaining, the riders came to the Côte de La Redoute, described by Cyclingnews.com as the race's "most hallowed site". This is a 2-kilometre (1.2 mi) climb at an average gradient of 8.9%.


2016 Liège–Bastogne–Liège, Route
Around 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) later came the  Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons – 1.3 kilometres (0.81 mi) at 11% – and then the descent into the outskirts of Liège. In the final 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) were two climbs: the Côte de San Nicolas – 1.2 kilometres (0.75 mi) at 8.6% – and the Côte de la Rue Naniot. The race then finished with a final 1,500-metre (1,600 yd), unclassified climb to the finish line in Ans.


2016 Liège–Bastogne–Liège, Route
There was a last-minute route change due to the weather conditions. No climbing was altered, but a section of the route between Liège and the day's first climb was changed to avoid snow-affected areas.


2016 Liège–Bastogne–Liège, Teams
The race organisers invited 25 teams to participate in the 2016 Liège–Bastogne–Liège. As it is a UCI World Tour event, all 18 WorldTeams were invited automatically and were obliged to send a squad. An additional seven UCI Professional Continental teams were given wildcard entries. These included three French teams (Cofidis, Direct Énergie and Fortuneo–Vital Concept), two Belgian teams (Topsport Vlaanderen–Baloise and Wanty–Groupe Gobert), a Dutch team (Roompot–Oranje Peloton) and a German team (Bora–Argon 18). Each team was entitled to enter eight riders, so the start list included 200 riders.


2016 Liège–Bastogne–Liège, Pre-race favourites
The principal favourite for victory in the race was the defending champion, Movistar Team's Alejandro Valverde. Valverde had won the race on three previous occasions – in 2006, 2008 and 2015. In 2006 and 2015 he had also won La Flèche Wallonne; after winning the 2016 edition of that race earlier in the week, Valverde was seeking to win an unprecedented third "Ardennes double". Valverde had the advantage of climbing better than most sprinters and sprinting better than most climbers.


2016 Liège–Bastogne–Liège, Pre-race favourites
Two of the main challengers to Valverde came from the Etixx–Quick-Step team. These were Dan Martin, the 2013 champion, and Julian Alaphilippe, who had been second behind Valverde in 2015; they had finished second and third behind Valverde on the Mur de Huy in La Flèche Wallonne the previous week. Martin said after that race that he expected to gain a greater tactical advantage by having two riders in Liège–Bastogne–Liège.


2016 Liège–Bastogne–Liège, Pre-race favourites
Other potential winners included three Orica–GreenEDGE riders (the 2014 champion, Simon Gerrans, along with Simon Yates and Adam Yates), Team Katusha's Joaquim Rodríguez, Team Sky's Michał Kwiatkowski and Wout Poels (who were supported by the reigning Tour de France champion, Chris Froome) and Enrico Gasparotto (Wanty–Groupe Gobert), who had won the Amstel Gold Race the previous Sunday and performed strongly in La Flèche Wallonne as well.


2016 Liège–Bastogne–Liège, Race summary
The race took place in cold, snowy conditions, with low visibility in the early part of the race. By the time the breakaway formed, an hour into the day's racing, Fortuneo–Vital Concept's Julien Loubet had already abandoned; he was one of 46 riders not to finish the race. The breakaway was initially composed of seven riders: Paolo Tiralongo (Astana), Alessandro De Marchi (BMC), Pavel Brutt (Tinkoff), Nicolas Edet (Cofidis), Jérémy Roy (FDJ), Thomas De Gendt (Lotto–Soudal) and Cesare Benedetti (Bora–Argon 18).


2016 Liège–Bastogne–Liège, Race summary
With 50 kilometres (31 mi) completed, IAM Cycling's Vegard Stake Laengen bridged across from the peloton to the breakaway; the eight-man group built a lead that reached nine minutes. The peloton was controlled first by Etixx–Quick-Step and then by Movistar and the gap was reduced to four minutes by the Côte de Wanne, with 84 kilometres (52 mi) remaining.


2016 Liège–Bastogne–Liège, Race summary
Shortly afterwards, Chris Froome was involved in a minor crash, although he was quickly able to rejoin the peloton. By this point, the peloton was riding into a headwind, with the weather conditions changing repeatedly between rain and snow. On the Col de Rosier, with the gap reduced to around two minutes, Thomas Voeckler and Lilian Calmejane (both Direct Énergie), and Adam Yates (Orica–GreenEDGE) attacked from the peloton, while De Marchi and Edet broke away from the rest of the leading group.


2016 Liège–Bastogne–Liège, Race summary
Calmejane and Yates were unable to stay with Voeckler, who crossed the summit of the climb on his own. Shortly afterwards, Tony Gallopin crashed and was forced to abandon the race. Approaching the Col de la Redoute, De Gendt caught De Marchi and Edet to form a lead group of three riders, while the peloton – now just 30 seconds behind – caught Voeckler. Astana's Andriy Hrivko attacked on the climb and caught up with De Gendt, who had again been dropped by Edet and De Marchi.


2016 Liège–Bastogne–Liège, Race summary
The peloton caught the breakaway groups on the descent from the Côte de La Roche-aux-Faucons, with Etixx–Quick-Step driving the pace. On the approach to the Côte de Saint-Nicholas, Carlos Betancur (Movistar) attacked; there were then attacks from Kwiatkowski and Hrivko. With Betancur again attacking on the climb, Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) and Simon Gerrans were dropped.


2016 Liège–Bastogne–Liège, Race summary
At the top of the climb, there were attacks from Romain Bardet (AG2R La Mondiale), Diego Rosa (Astana) and Ilnur Zakarin (Katusha); they were brought back, however, by the foot of the final climb of the day, the Côte de la Rue Naniot, with the peloton now reduced to fewer than 30 riders.


2016 Liège–Bastogne–Liège, Race summary
The peloton was split by the steep gradient of the climb. After Julien Alaphilippe made a failed attempt to escape the group, Michael Albasini (Orica–GreenEDGE) attacked around half-way up and only Rui Costa (Lampre–Merida), Samuel Sánchez (BMC) and Wout Poels (Sky) were able to follow. With 1.5 kilometres (0.9 mi) remaining, they had a five-second lead, but few of the riders in the chasing group had teammates with them, so there was no coordinated effort to close the gap.


2016 Liège–Bastogne–Liège, Race summary
On the final ascent to the line, there were attacks from Albasini and Poels, although neither was able to get away from the group. Ilnur Zakarin attacked from the peloton, but was unable to come across to the leading group. Going around the final corner, with 250 metres (270 yd) remaining, Poels was the first to sprint. Albasini followed him but was unable to come past. Poels crossed the line first, with Albasini second and Costa third. Sánchez was four seconds behind in fourth, with Zakarin a further five seconds back in fifth. Warren Barguil (Team Giant–Alpecin) was the first to finish from the chasing group, eleven seconds behind Poels.


2016 Liège–Bastogne–Liège, Post-race analysis, Reactions
Poels's victory was his first ever in a one-day race. It was also the first ever victory in any of the cycling monuments for Team Sky and the first Liège–Bastogne–Liège victory by a Dutch rider in 28 years. Cyclingnews.com described it as the "biggest result of his career". Poels himself said that he had felt good all day and had been warm throughout, despite the weather; he joked that he "really liked" the Côte de la Rue Naniot. He suggested that he was improving as a rider following his move from Etixx–Quick-Step to Sky two years previously, especially in his ability to stay near the front of the peloton throughout the race.


2016 Liège–Bastogne–Liège, Post-race analysis, Reactions
Albasini was not originally Orica–GreenEDGE's leader; he inherited the role after Simon Gerrans was dropped towards the end of the race. He said that he thought he was the strongest of the four-man group that formed on the final climb and blamed a mistake for his failure to win: he said that he had chosen the wrong gearing for the sprint and was unable to match Poels's acceleration. He said that he had ridden "a good race" even though he had failed to win.