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History was certainly made in the 2017 B.C. Election: four Indigenous candidates were elected to the Legislature, a minority government was predicted for the first time since 1952 and the B.C. Greens picked up three seats.
However, what do the results mean for the political future of British Columbia?
Well, as it stands the Liberals are winning the election with a narrow lead with 43 seats, followed by the NDP with 41 and the Greens with three.
But hold on, the election isn’t over yet. Certain ridings will undergo reviews and absentee ballots still need to be counted. Indeed, we likely won’t know the official outcome of the election until after the final count concludes on May 22nd.
In any other election, absentee ballots typically wouldn’t play that much of a significant role - but this isn’t any other election.
For instance, in the riding of Courtenay-Comox the NDP won by just nine votes.
With such a narrow margin separating the NDP and the Liberals in this riding, it’s possible the absentee ballots could result in Courtenay-Comox switching red - which would hand the Liberals the 44 seats needed to form a majority government.
Ultimately, what you need to know is that the current standings are not official and the results could change after absentee ballots are counted.
But what happens if the absentee ballots don’t result in any changes and the current division of seats remain the same after the final count? Well, quite simply, it means the future of British Columbia will be in the hands of Andrew Weaver’s Green party.
Essentially this is how it works: Because the Green Party won three seats, they could form a coalition majority government by teaming up with either the NDP or the Liberals.
If the Green sided with the NDP, they would form a majority with a combined total of 44 seats. If they instead decided to side the Liberals, they would form a slightly stronger majority with 46 seats.
Whoever the Greens decide to join forces with is yet to be determined and will likely follow weeks of long discussions and fierce negotiations. But already, people have taken to social media to make their thoughts known on who they would rather the BC Greens choose to go into coalition with.
Majority of British Columbians voted for @bcndp & @BCGreens . The only democratic way forward is a coalition of the two parties. #bcpoli
— Michela Toscano (@mmtoscano) May 10, 2017
I honestly think the @BCGreens would be better off if they didn't side with either party. Freedom to vote for BC and not your "allies"
— Faye Kat (@Faenaria) May 10, 2017
partnering w @bcliberals would be flagrant disregard of the integrity @BCGreens claim to have. ban donations + bring in PR or lose base 100% https://t.co/RSCjjEo8E0
— jbomb (@jannabomb) May 10, 2017
@LesliBoldt @AJWVictoriaBC if i were Weaver i would play cards close to the vest....would also expect Clark to be very willing to deal, since she loves being premier
— Rod Mickleburgh (@rodmickleburgh) May 11, 2017
Ultimately, the main takeaway from this election is that the Green party hold the balance of power and can now decide which party should get to govern for the next four years - granted the current division of seats remain unchanged after May 22nd.
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