After a decade serving as premier, Brad Wall will be replaced on Saturday evening.
Tina Beaudry-Mellor, Ken Cheveldayoff, Alanna Koch, Scott Moe and Gordon Wyant are the candidates in the running.
One of the first to throw her hat in the ring was Beaudry-Mellor.
“I’ve been in this race to make sure that our political party has staying power over the long term and there is a number of issues that we’re going to have to address in order to capture that middle ground,” Beaudry-Mellor said.
Meadow Lake MLA Jeremy Harrison withdrew his name from the leadership race after running less than two weeks in August.
Meanwhile, last to launch his campaign was Rob Clarke. In mid-December he withdrew after a month of campaigning but his name appears on the ballot and his votes will count. He threw support behind Ken Cheveldayoff.
“I have 10 years of elected experience and what people are telling me, is that’s essential for the next premier of the province,” Cheveldayoff said.
Meanwhile, deputy minister to the premier, Alanna Koch, is hoping to step into the spotlight.
“The PST on insurance was something I heard all over the province and what I want to do is make sure that I’m really responsible in considering the changes that I’m going to make there. I know there needs to be changes,” Koch said.
All the candidates agreed, covering ground across the province was the most challenging aspect of the campaign.
“Taking advice from people from across the province on their vision of their community and the province and the industries in this province a decade out to the future. The policy platform that we put together was fairly widely consulted on,” Moe said.
The race saw six leadership debates around the province as well as forums with stakeholders, each revealing what the candidates prioritized.
“We know that really, not a wheel turns in Saskatchewan without a good education system, so it was really the focus of our campaign from an issue perspective,” Wyant said.
Results will be revealed at the Saskatchewan Party leadership convention at Prairieland Park on Saturday starting at 6 p.m. CT.
After the first round, if no candidate has a clear majority of 50 per cent plus one of the votes counted, the candidate with the lowest number of votes will be eliminated. The votes will be redistributed among other candidates, as per the preferential balloting system, until someone reaches a majority.
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