The Saskatchewan Party has entered political dynasty territory after winning a fourth consecutive provincial election on Monday.
With mail-in ballots still to be counted, the latest tally from Elections Saskatchewan shows Scott Moe’s SaskParty team holding 50 seats and 63 per cent of the popular vote, with the opposition New Democrats winning or leading in 11 ridings and holding 29 per cent of the popular vote.
Prior to the election, the SaskParty held 46 seats and the NDP held 13.
The new Buffalo Party, the Progressive Conservative Party of Saskatchewan, and Green Party, have all received between two and three per cent of the votes in the preliminary count.
Scott Moe
As for individual races, SaskParty leader Scott Moe won his riding of Rosthern-Shellbrook with nearly 80 per cent of the ballots cast on Monday.
NDP leader Ryan Meili is among the candidates awaiting final numbers, as he trails the SaskParty’s Rylund Hunter by 83 votes in the riding of Saskatoon-Meewasin as of Tuesday morning. (There were over 1,600 mail-in ballots issued in the riding.) Meili is trying to buck the trend of Saskatchewan NDP leaders failing to win their own seat, following Cam Broten and Dwain Lingenfelter in the 2016 and 2011 elections.
David Marit, who served as agriculture minister prior to the election, was re-elected in his Wood River constituency.
Mail-in ballots received by October 26th will be included in a second vote count to begin on October 28, while the final count will begin on November 7.