Final B.C. election count sees NDP win 57 seats, BC Liberals 28, Greens 2

With the final count complete in a dozen too-close-to call ridings, the BC NDP have won a large majority of 57 seats.

The BC Liberals captured 28 seats, while in a surprise turnaround, the BC Greens were reduced to two.

Sunday’s final count means the NDP have won the second-best electoral finish of any B.C. party based on seat count and the seventh-best based on popular vote.

Due to more than 660,000 outstanding mail-in and absentee ballots there were 12 ridings Global News deemed too close to call on election night, Oct. 24.

In total, the NDP flipped eight of those seats, the BC Liberals held onto four and the BC Greens lost one.

The Greens had been leading in West Vancouver-Sea to Sky by 604 votes on election night, only to see the BC Liberals win by 41 votes in the final count. That result will head to a judicial recount.

3:58 BC Liberals look to regroup after election loss

As counting continued Sunday, the NDP cemented their wins multiple races in traditionally unfriendly territory.

In Langley East, the NDP’s Megan Dykeman beat BC Liberal Margaret Kunst by 2,784 votes.

BC Conservative candidate Ryan Warawa, son of former Conservative MP Mark Warawa, was in third with 3,428 votes, likely setting up future debates about vote-splitting on the right.

The NDP has never won in this riding.

In Vernon-Monashee, the NDP made a historic Okanagan breakthrough, with Harwinder Sandhu defeating Liberal incumbent Eric Foster by 424 votes.

In Vancouver-False Creek, the NDP’s Brenda Bailey defeated BC Liberal and former Vancouver mayor Sam Sullivan by 2,267 votes.

Sullivan’s victory of 506 votes in the 2017 election was the fifth-closest race in that contest, and the NDP poured resources into the riding this year, including pledging a new elementary school.

READ MORE: Final ballot counting is underway in the B.C. election. Here are some ridings to watch

The NDP also flipped former Parksville-Qualicum by 2,052 votes, with Adam Walker defeating former BC Liberal cabinet minister Michelle Stillwell.

The BC Liberals held onto traditional stronghold Surrey-White Rock, thought it ended with a nail-biting finish.

Newcomer Trevor Halford defeated NDP challenger Bryn Smith by just 224 votes.

And BC Liberal Michael Lee held his seat in Vancouver-Langara, beating rising NDP star Tessica Truong by 1,457 votes.