(Bloomberg) — An election in the Canadian province of British Columbia was too close to call on Election Day, leaving the left-wing New Democratic Party’s majority in doubt while support rose for a party that has ruled the region since World War II. ruled more.
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The NDP led in 46 cases, while the Conservative Party of BC – not affiliated with Canada’s federal Conservatives – led in 45, according to the latest report from the election agency Elections BC. The Green Party was ahead in two cases, with 99% of ballot boxes reporting. For a majority in the British Columbia parliament, 47 seats are needed.
If current numbers hold, the balance of power in Canada’s third-largest province could rest with the tiny Green Party — whose leader Sonia Furstenau fell short of her own victory. The instability and lack of a clear mandate could also lead to new elections before the four-year term is up.
“These elections are not over yet,” Conservative Leader John Rustad said at a party meeting on Saturday evening. “If we find ourselves in a situation where the NDP forms a minority government, we will take every opportunity from day one to take them down at the very first opportunity and get back to the polls.”
According to Elections BC, the margins on some seats are within dozens of votes, increasing the chance of recounts in the coming days. It says automatic recounts will take place when the margin is 100 votes or less, and will only take place after the final count, scheduled for October 26 to 28.
During that time, officials will also count mail-in ballots received after the close of advance voting. Sixteen counties are still counting out-of-county ballots. It was not immediately clear how many ballots are expected in these categories.
Most public polls in the final week of the campaign pointed to a narrow victory for the NDP, which has governed the resource-rich region of 5.7 million people since 2017.
Saturday’s vote has parallels with the 2017 election, when the Liberals failed to form a lasting minority government and the NDP struck a offer-and-confidence deal with the Greens.
Prime Minister David Eby, the NDP leader widely seen as an ally of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, had taken center stage in key policy areas during the year. He pledged to repeal the carbon tax if a federal safety net was lifted and reversed a controversial drug decriminalization experiment. It was not enough for a decisive victory at the end of election day.
The Conservatives have not governed the province since before World War II but have surged in popularity, ousting the center-right BC United Party, formerly the Liberals, which lost the race in August.
Rustad may have benefited from the current popularity of the Conservative Party of Canada, which polls consistently show is far ahead of Trudeau’s Liberal Party. The provincial and national Conservative parties are separate organizations, although many of their policy ideas are similar.
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