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The Alberta Party, currently in the midst of a leadership race, has seen a dramatic uptick in membership.

According to figures released by the party Thursday, it has grown more than 500 per cent in less than 12 months.

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The province’s third party was starting from a low floor, with just 1,024 members in March 2017.

When the eligibility window to vote in the current leadership race closed this week, that number had grown to 6,543. Close to 2,000 of those memberships were sold in the 48 hours between Feb. 11 and 12.

The leadership race kicked off last year when Calgary-Elbow MLA Greg Clark resigned from the top job.

Three hopefuls are vying to replace him — Calgary lawyer Kara Levis, former Edmonton mayor and former Progressive Conservative MLA Stephen Mandel, and Calgary-South East MLA Rick Fraser, who recently crossed from the United Conservative Party to join the ranks of the Alberta Party.

Members will cast their votes later this month, with the new leader announced Feb. 27.