VICTORIA — The New Democrats and Premier David Eby were on course to win a majority government nine days after voters moved in British Columbia, but the final verdict will require two more court recounts to become official.

The incumbent NDP completed the final vote count Monday with 47 seats, defeating John Rustad’s Conservatives in British Columbia, who mounted a serious challenge after receiving less than 2 percent of the popular vote in the 2020 election .

This is exactly the number of seats needed to obtain a majority in the 93-seat Legislative Assembly. The Conservatives won 44 and the Greens two.

But Elections BC, the province’s independent elections administrator, said the two seats, Kelowna Center and Surrey-Guildford, were so close that there would be an automatic recount before the standings for the next legislature are confirmed .

In Kelowna Centre, the Conservatives were ahead of the NDP by 38 votes and in Surrey-Guildford, the New Democrats were ahead of the Conservatives by 27. The Conservatives were actually ahead in both seats before the last batch of votes were counted Monday and the Surrey seat went to the NDP. NDP.

Elections BC said the timing of the recount is determined by the court and may include some or all ballots and certification envelopes.

Eby said he met with the lieutenant governor. Janet Austin earlier Monday and asked him to form the next government.

“After a close and hard-fought campaign, now is the time to come together to act for the people,” Eby said in a statement. “We will work hard every day to earn the trust you place in us.”

In a social media post, Rustad said he was proud to have led a party without seats in the 2020 elections to become the opposition in the next legislature.

“I accept the results of this election. I thank our Elections BC workers for their hard and dedicated work,” he said.

“I am ready to take on the important work of leading B.C.’s Official Opposition. The B.C. Conservative Caucus is committed to holding government accountable and advocating for policies that reflect the best interests of all British Columbians.”

Eby has planned a press conference for Tuesday at the Victorian Legislative Assembly. Rustad also called a press conference in the capital on Tuesday afternoon.

Elections BC officials spent the weekend and Monday counting 43,000 mail-in ballots and 22,000 mail-in ballots.

The NDP victory is the first time in British Columbia history that the New Democrats have won three consecutive elections.

NDP House Leader Ravi Kahlon said he was “happy to see the numbers coming in and I’m glad to see we can move forward.”

“It’s still going to take a lot of cooperation within the legislature,” he said in an interview. “We will continue to reach out to the Greens to find ways to work with them.”

Kahlon said people were telling him, “We don’t want another election, what we want is for you to make it happen.”

Kahlon suggested the NDP was considering finding a president from among its ranks, despite his party’s tight position.

“We have good people who can do the job,” he said.

It was too early to say when the legislature would be dismissed, he said, adding that one of the first items on the agenda would be the formation of a new cabinet.

Greens Leader Sonia Furstenau said in a statement that it appears the parties will need to work together for the legislature to function effectively.

She said earlier that the two Green MPs elected to the Legislative Assembly could play a central role in the functioning of the government.

Congratulatory messages arrived Monday evening from the British Columbia Federation of Labor and the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs.

“This victory marks an important step toward deeper reconciliation, respect for Indigenous rights and a shared future based on partnership and commitment to address the climate emergency,” Grand Chief Stewart Phillip said in a statement. .

Rustad’s unlikely rise came after he was kicked out of opposition in 2022, then known as the BC Liberal, joined the BC Conservatives, quickly won acclaim as leader and led them to a level of popularity that led to the collapse of his former party. which had changed its name to BC United – all in just two years.

A group of former BC United MPs running as independents were all defeated, with Karin Kirkpatrick, Dan Davies, Coralee Oakes, Mike Bernier and Tom Shypitka losing to the Conservatives.

Aisha Estey, president of the British Columbia Conservative Party, said she spent the weekend in a warehouse monitoring the counting of mail-in ballots.

In a social media post, she said: “Elections BC staff have worked tirelessly and done their best within the legislation that governs their work. »

“Would we have liked mail-ins to be counted closer to (election day)? Of course,” she added. “But I haven’t seen anything that worries me.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published October 28, 2024.

Dirk Meissner, The Canadian Press