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Cypress Hills MLA Wayne Elhard has announced that he will not be running in the next provincial election which is expected in April of 2016.

Elhard was the first MLA to be elected under the Saskatchewan Party banner, winning a by-election in June of 1999. He was re-elected in the general election later that same year and re-elected again in 2003, 2007, and 2011, each time with an increased share of the popular vote. In 2011, Elhard earned nearly 83% of the vote in Cypress Hills, the second highest popular vote percentage ever received by any Saskatchewan Party MLA.

Elhard said it has been an honour to serve the people of Southwest Saskatchewan over the past 16 years and he will always be grateful for the trust the people placed in him. `However,` he adds `after five terms, it's time for someone else to represent the people of the Cypress Hills`

Premier Brad Wall said Elhard has always been a leader within the Saskatchewan Party Caucus and government. `As our party's first elected MLA, Wayne Elhard deserves a lot of credit for the success of the Saskatchewan Party.`Wall said. `Wayne has always been a steady voice within our caucus and I am certainly going to miss him as a colleague from the south west who has been there since I was first elected.`

Elhard will continue to serve as the MLA for Cypress Hills until the next election.