Canada's Mulcair loses New Democratic leadership vote

New Democratic Party leader Thomas Mulcair speaks during Question Period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Canada, March 21, 2016. REUTERS/Chris Wattie

TORONTO (Reuters) - Members of Canada's left-leaning New Democratic Party voted on Sunday to oust their leader, Thomas Mulcair, six months after the party suffered a resounding defeat in a general election it had initially been favoured to win.

Delegates at a party gathering in Edmonton, Alberta, voted 52 percent for a convention to choose a new leader. Mulcair, 61, said he would step down as head of the party, but not until a replacement is named. The New Democrats voted to hold a leadership convention in two years.