The results are in for Saskatchewan’s latest election, and the incumbent Saskatchewan Party has won a fifth consecutive majority government.
Though Premier Scott Moe’s Saskatchewan Party received a majority of votes, 52.9%, as of Monday night, his party formed a majority government by only two seats.
A party must secure 31 seats to gain a majority government in Saskatchewan; Moe’s party was elected in at least 33 ridings, with 232,760 votes across the province.
Some ridings were too close to call Monday night, such as Saskatoon Westview, where the Saskatchewan party only led by 31 votes.
Moe acknowledged that although he won a majority, the Saskatchewan Party’s narrow victory is a message to their government that they have lost support since their last election.
“This was a much closer election than what we have seen in quite some time, in over roughly half and there’s another half of the voters that voted for someone else,” Moe said in his victory speech. “I’ve heard the message that was delivered here this evening, and the Saskatchewan party will be a government that works for all of the people of Saskatchewan.”
Carla Beck’s NDP Party won at least 24 seats Monday and received 39.5% of the vote, and 173,285 votes across the province.
Beck conceded last night with a message of hope for her supporters and a vow to be a strong opposition to Moe’s government in the legislature.
“We might not have crossed the finish line first tonight, but my friends, we have changed the landscape,” Beck said in her address to supporters. “I know this isn’t the result that we had hoped for, but let me tell you, tonight is not the end.”
In 2020, the Saskatchewan party had over 61% of the vote and was elected in 48 seats, while the NDP had 13 seats with 31.82% of the vote.
Moe reflected on the areas where he believes his government needs to improve to regain support from constituents.
“When you look at the results tonight, many people voted for the Saskatchewan party in the past but chose not to in this election,” Moe said. “We have lost your support, whether it be due to management of healthcare or education or the cost of living, pressures that we’re all feeling in this province and across this nation, all of us in government, and it starts with myself.”
Both leaders are projected to keep their seats, and the NDP and SP are the only parties with elected candidates.
As predicted by a survey from the Angus Reid Institute last month, Moe’s party were most popular in the rural areas, while the NDP took most of the two main cities, Saskatoon and Regina.