BC NDP Leader David Eby and BC Conservative Leader John Rustad both won re-election in their respective ridings as their parties battled for power in Saturday’s provincial election.
Rustad easily cruised to victory in his riding of Nechako Lakes, earning roughly three-quarters of the vote in early results. His riding was the first in the province to be called by Global BC just minutes after polls closed at 8 p.m.
Eby was projected to win Vancouver-Point Grey with over half of the vote, well ahead of Conservative candidate Paul Ratchford.
The BC NDP and BC Conservatives are locked in a close race for forming the next government. Opinion polls were showing a dead heat throughout the campaign, as the Conservatives surged to test the resilience of the incumbent NDP.
By the end of Saturday, the NDP had a one-seat lead over the Conservatives but was still one seat shy from forming a majority.
All but three of the incumbent NDP candidates who served in Eby’s cabinet were projected to win re-election Saturday as well.
BC Green Party Leader Sonia Furstenau, meanwhile, lost her race in Victoria-Beacon Hill to the incumbent NDP candidate Grace Lore, who served as minister of children and family development in the last provincial cabinet.
However, the Greens are projected to keep two seats in the legislature and retain official party status — and potentially hold the balance of power in a chamber almost evenly split between the NDP and Conservatives.
The Greens in 2017 were able to boost the NDP into power through a supply-and-confidence agreement.
The resurgence of the Conservatives under Rustad to narrowly form government after holding no seats in the legislature less than two years ago came at the expense of centre-right BC United, the one-time official opposition.
The suspension of the BC United campaign amid sagging poll numbers saw the Conservatives bring several United candidates under their banner as the two parties worked together to put forward the best slate of candidates to defeat the incumbent NDP.
But 18 BC United candidates chose to continue their campaigns as independent or unaffiliated candidates against the Conservatives, who positioned themselves as more right-wing.
All 18 of those candidates lost their races Saturday.