REGINA — Rural Saskatchewan held steady in its support for Scott Moe and the Saskatchewan Party in the Oct. 28 provincial election.
Results from rural ridings came in first, and the party held all the seats it had before the election was called.
However, as urban results started to come in the story was far different.
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As of 10:30 p.m., the Sask. Party was elected or leading in 33 seats, compared to 26 for the NDP. Two ridings had yet to report, including Regina Lakeview where NDP leader Carla Beck was seeking re-election.
At dissolution, the Sask. Party had 42 seats and the NDP had 14. Four MLAs were sitting as independents and one seat was vacant.
The NDP gained double-digit support in some rural ridings, but that didn’t translate into seats. It did however gain back Athabasca, one of the two northern seats.
Moe was the first MLA declared elected with a large lead after just eight of 38 polls reported.
Other party leaders were not as lucky. Saskatchewan United Party leader John Hromek, Green Party leader Naomi Hunter, Progressive Conservative leader Rose Buscholl and Buffalo Party leader Phillip Zajac all failed in their bids to be elected.
David Marit, who served as agriculture minister since 2018, was re-elected in his Wood River riding.
Nadine Wilson, running for Sask. United in Saskatchewan Rivers after being booted from the Sask. Party caucus for misrepresenting her COVID vaccination status, was not re-elected.
This election featured a new constituency map after boundaries were redrawn. That led to some incumbents, particularly in city and bedroom ridings, who had won with healthy majorities in previous elections running in ridings where their support wasn’t as strong.
The results aren’t official until after mailed-in ballots are counted Oct. 30 and a final official count on Nov. 9.
More to come.
Contact karen.briere@producer.com
