Greg Selinger (CBC)

The final hours of campaigning are winding down for Manitoba NDP leadership candidates Steve Ashton and Greg Selinger.

Their names will be on the ballot Saturday when the party delegates choose a new leader, and by default a new premier, to replace Gary Doer.

The provincial NDP leader since 1988 and premier since 1999, Doer surprised many political observers by announcing Aug. 27 that he would be stepping down. The following day, he was introduced in Ottawa by Prime Minister Stephen Harper as Canada's next ambassador to the United States.

Selinger, the former finance minister, and Ashton, the former minister in charge of intergovernmental affairs and emergency measures, entered the leadership race shortly after Doer announced his resignation.

Steve Ashton (CBC)

The first person to step forward as a candidate was Andrew Swan, the competitiveness, training and trade minister.

All three resigned from their cabinet positions to seek the leadership.

Swan was sworn back into his cabinet position in early October after bowing out of the race. He was running a distant third in the race in terms of the number of delegates he had managed to secure.

At last count, Selinger led the delegate count by 117.

The total number of delegates is just shy of 1,500. They fall four ways in terms of support, according to a Selinger campaign spokesman. They are broken down as:

• 741 for Selinger.
• 624 for Ashton.
• 72 for Swan, now considered swing delegates.
• 55 are independent.

Delegates will head into the Winnipeg Convention Centre on Saturday. Speeches from the candidates are set to begin just after noon, with voting to follow at 2 p.m. CT.

The result could be known by 4 p.m. CT, said Lorraine Sigurdson, president of the Manitoba NDP.

A balloting committee will go through the crowd of delegates to collect their vote while the candidates remain in their seats, she said.

The ballot boxes will then be taken into a counting room.

"Each ballot box will be counted separately. At the same time, we'll be getting the results from [delegate voting] in The Pas and Thompson."

It will probably take about an hour to do the count and then "the results will be brought to me, and I will announce the results," said Sigurdson.

In the event of a tie, Sigurdson could cast the deciding vote, though she said she would likely ask for another round of voting.

Follow the events of the convention by tuning in to CBC Radio One 89.3, CBC TV, or online at CBC.ca/Manitoba.