In an unprecedented turn of events, the British Columbia provincial election has culminated in a dramatic stalemate.
The New Democratic Party and the BC Conservatives remain locked in a fierce battle for control of the legislature, with neither party able to claim a decisive majority as Elections BC continues to tabulate the final results.
By the end of the night, the Conservatives had the advantage in 45 seats while the BC NDP were ahead in 46. A party would need 47 seats to declare a majority government.
Several key ridings have margins between the two parties under 1% including Juan de Fuca Malahat, Surrey-Guildford, Kelowna-Centre and Courtenay-Comox.
The BC Greens, won two crucial seats, emerging as potential power brokers in forming a government for the BC NDP. However, Green Party leader Sonia Furstenau lost re-election in the riding of Victoria–Beacon Hill.
David Eby of the NDP and John Rustad of the Conservatives, while holding onto their own seats, could not declare victory by Saturday night.
The Conservatives, revitalized under Rustad’s leadership, have achieved a significant breakthrough, securing their first substantial legislative representation in decades and are within reach of forming government for the first time in nearly 100 years.
Election day had much of British Columbia facing severe weather conditions impacting several polling locations and possibly influencing voter turnout.
Despite this, the 2024 election saw a record-breaking number of early ballots cast.
Elections BC has said that final results would be reported by Oct. 26th after mail-in ballots are counted and recounts are factored in.
