BC elections confirm recounts in two stages, official results will have to wait another week

VANCOUVER – Elections BC says votes will be recounted by hand in two lines with provincial NDP and Conservative candidates separated by fewer than 100 votes.

The agency says the recounts will take place in key neighborhoods of Juan de Fuca-Malahat and downtown Surrey as part of the final count between Oct. 26 and 28, meaning the outcome of British Columbia’s provincial election won’t be available for some time. week will be official. .

The New Democrats candidates are leading by very narrow margins in the two battles, with the outcome could determine which party will form B.C.’s next government.

David Eby’s incumbent NDP leads with 46 seats, while John Rustad’s Conservatives lead with 45 seats, neither having reached the 47 seats needed to form a majority government after the first count today has been completed.

The Greens have won two seats in parliament and the party has the potential to play a role in helping Eby’s New Democrats form a minority government.

Elections BC adds that the initial count does not reflect the approximately 49,000 absentee and mail-in ballots that will be included in the final count starting next Saturday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 20, 2024.

The Canadian Press