Area voters will send three newly elected Conservative MLAs to Victoria.
Kiel Giddens won Prince George-Mackenzie, Sheldon Clare won Prince George-North Cariboo and Rosalyn Bird won Prince George-Valemount Saturday night as their party and the NDP fought a close battle to form government.
While the three local race results were clear soon after polls closed at 8 p.m., final confirmation of the total seat count is yet to come.
By midnight the NDP and Conservatives were locked in a close race to 47 seats, with several races separated by as few as 20 votes and a delay in the final results expected.
All three Prince George-area MLAs are first-timers.
BC United incumbents Shirley Bond (Prince George-Valemount) and Mike Morris (Prince George-Mackenzie) did not run again.
Prince George-North Cariboo incumbent Coralee Oakes ran as an independent, losing to Clare.
In nearby ridings, Conservative Leader John Rustad was re-elected in Nechako Lakes, while Lorne Doerksen was elected for the Conservatives in Cariboo-Chilcotin.
Two incumbents in the Peace, who ran as independents after the folding of BC United, lost to Conservatives. In Peace River North, Jordan Kealy defeated Dan Davies, while in Peace River South Larry Neufeld defeated Mike Bernier.
No former BC United incumbents who ran as independents won Saturday night.
Rustad and NDP Leader David Eby both spoke to their supporters Saturday night but neither claimed victory.
Elections BC has updated the vote percentages in the province, including the three Prince George-area electoral districts.
Conservative candidates won in all three ridings: Kiel Giddens in Prince George-Mackenzie, Sheldon Clare in Prince George-North Cariboo and Rosalyn Bird in Prince George-Valemount.
Prince George-Mackenzie
- NDP: 28%
- Conservatives: 61.1%
- Greens: 8.4%
- Independent: 2.4%
- Other: 0%
Prince George-North Cariboo
- NDP: 16.8%
- Conservatives: 57.1%
- Greens: 4.3%
- Independent: 21.8%
- Other: 0%
Prince George-Valemount
- NDP: 34.7%
- Conservatives: 55.4%
- Greens: 9.9%
- Independent: 0%
- Other: 0%
NOTE: "Independent" includes both independent and unaffiliated candidates.
