Canada's Tories sweep to majority power UPDATED
UPDATED (Final result): Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservative Party has finally gained a majority in Canada's fourth election in seven years.
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The political pendulum has swung firmly to the right in Canada, giving the Conservative Party its long-sought after majority.
And in a move predicted by the polls, the left-wing New Democrats have replaced the Liberals as the official opposition with leader Michael Ignatieff losing his seat.
In further shock result, the Francophile Bloc Québécois collapsed with leader Gilles Duceppe also losing his seat.
At the final count in all 308 ridings (seats), the Conservatives led by Stephen Harperr took 167 seats, up from 143 at dissolution and comfortably ahead of the bare 155 needed to form a majority government.
The NDP won 102 seats, more than double its best historical tally. The Liberals were reduced to the lowest seat count in their history -- just 34 seats.
The Bloc Québécois held on with only four seats, while Green Party leader Elizabeth May made an historic gain by capturing her party’s first elected seat in the riding of Saanich-Gulf Islands, British Columbia.
Personal triumph
The result is a personal triumph for Mr Harper, who has been running a minority government since 2006.
The election was triggered on March 25 when the three opposition parties joined in a no-confidence vote.
The trade union-backed NDP picked up most of its seats in Quebec after support for separatist Bloc Québécois was reduced to a rump and the once-dominant Liberals were left with pockets of Atlantic Canada and urban Ontario.
Nevil Gibson
Wed, 04 May 2011
Wed, 04 May 2011
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Canada's Tories sweep to majority power UPDATED
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