The weekend count of mail-in and absentee ballots has cemented the NDP lead in Juan de Fuca-Malahat.
The lead for NDP's Dana Lajeunesse had increased to 141 votes over B.C. Conservative Marina Sapozhnikov late Monday following the count of most of the 681 certification envelopes containing mail-in and assisted telephone votes as well as envelopes containing special and absentee ballots.
The B.C. NDP's Dana Lajeunesse held a 23-vote lead over B.C. Conservative Marina Sapozhnikov on election night, however, the weekend count saw that lead grow by 118 votes. Lajeunesse now sits with 9,308 votes (38.8%), followed by Sapozhnikov with 9,167 votes (38.2%) and David Evans of the B.C. Green Party with 5,522 votes (23%).
The NDP erased a 103-vote election-night lead for the Conservatives in Surrey-Guildford, to claim a 27-vote win. The NDP has increased its lead over the Conservatives in Surrey City Centre to 236 votes. The weekend count also saw the Conservatives' lead dwindle to 38 votes in Kelowna Centre. Both Surrey-Guildford and Kelowna Centre will now be undergoing judicial recounts because the margin of victory between the top two candidates is less than 1/500th of the total number of votes cast.
Flipping the Surrey-Guildford seat gives the NDP 47 seats, enough for a majority, with the Conservatives sitting at 44, and the Greens holding two.
