BC Conservatives projected to form majority government as results continue to come in

The BC Conservatives are projected to form a majority government, with votes still being counted across the province following Saturday’s provincial election.

BC media outlets are reporting a Conservative majority under leader Lorne Doerkson, setting the stage for a change in government from David Eby’s BC NDP.

The projection comes as preliminary results continue to roll in.

As of 8:58 p.m. on October 24th, Elections BC showed the Conservatives leading in 63 ridings, compared with 27 for the NDP and two for the Greens.

Those figures represent leads in the ongoing count, rather than confirmed seat wins.

A party needs 47 of the legislature’s 93 seats to secure a majority.

Several Vancouver Island races remained close in the preliminary count.

At that same update, the Conservatives held narrow leads over the NDP in Courtenay-Comox, Cowichan Valley and Ladysmith-Oceanside, while the NDP was ahead in Langford-Highlands and Esquimalt-Colwood.

These standings could change as more ballots are counted.

Meanwhile, BC Green Party leader Emily Lowan was leading in Saanich North and the Islands.

As of 8:58 p.m., preliminary results showed Lowan with 1,318 votes, ahead of the Conservatives’ 638 and the NDP’s 438—a lead of 680 votes over her nearest challenger.

With 18 of 105 ballot boxes reporting, the race remained undecided as counting continued.

Elections BC cautions that election-night results are preliminary. While most ballots are counted tonight, others—including mail-in ballots and some absentee ballots—will be counted later.

Final count is scheduled for November 6th. Wath live update on the BC election here.