After a tight win, the New Democratic Party (NDP) of British Columbia will form a government with ties to the left.

The New Democratic Party of Premier David Eby, who is currently in office, will form the next government for British Columbia. This comes after a final count of votes on Monday. It was more than a full week since the vote of October 19.

The NDP won 47 seats, just enough for a majority in Canada's westmost province. John Rustad’s Conservative Party of British Columbia took 44 and the BC Green Party two.

Eby, Premier of British Columbia, said that he met with Janet Austin on Monday, British Columbia's Lieutenant Governor, who asked him for the next government.

Eby stated that "based on today's final count and the pending judicial recounts British Columbians asked our BC NDP to lead our Province for a third consecutive time."

After initial results indicated that no party had enough seats to form the majority government, voters had to wait for nine days to see Elections BC's final count. Due to the narrow margins of victory, two electoral districts are likely to face a judicial count.

Reelection of the left-leaning NDP secures another four years at power. This follows a campaign where healthcare, housing, and high living expenses were top concerns for voters.

Eby has pledged to spend more money on B.C. Eby has promised to spend more on B.C.

The NDP was re-elected despite growing voter concerns over crime, public safety, and the government's anti-drug policy. This included a pilot program to allow open consumption of some illegal drugs.

The Liberal government of Justin Trudeau faces similar affordability concerns on a national level and must call a federal election in the next year.

Since 2007, the NDP has been in power in B.C. Analysts say that the Conservatives have gained rapid support in the last two decades, indicating discontent with the incumbent government.

B.C. is a large mountainous province in Canada with a wealth of natural resources, including forestry and natural gas. It has been a leader on climate policy for many years and hosts the nascent industry that exports liquefied gas.

The NDP victory protects climate measures in the province, such as the clean fuel standard. This means that any new LNG terminals will have to plan to produce net zero carbon emissions by 2030 in order to receive provincial approval.

Eby has promised to abolish the province's unpopular carbon taxes if the federal government drops it as a legal in British Columbia. (Reporting and editing by Rod Nickel in British Columbia, Leslie Adler and Nia Williams)

(source: Reuters)