Scott Moe leads Saskatchewan Party to 4th majority government

The Saskatchewan Party has won a majority government for the fourth time in a row, CBC News has projected.

Less than an hour after polls closed, the party led by Scott Moe quickly secured 46of 61 seats, according to the CBCNews Decision Desk. Thirty-one seats are needed for a majority government.

Voting stations closed at8 p.m. CST. Follow results in all ridingshere.

As of midnight Tuesday, eight races including theSaskatoon Meewasinriding ofNDP Leader Ryan Meili remained too close to call.

Moeretained his seat in the Rosthern-Shellbrook riding, securing three quarters of the votes recorded so far, projections also show. It washis first election as SaskatchewanParty leader.

"I gotta tell you, I'm feeling pretty good tonight," Moe said in his victory speech, moments afterMeiliconceded the election in his own speech.

Speaking at a hotel ballroom limited to30 attendees, Moe thanked his campaign workers for going out in the "real world" despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

"You are the people that understand that elections are not decided on Twitter," he said."You are the people who got out from behind your keyboard."

Moe then pivoted tothe party's opposition to a carbon tax.

"There was a number of voters, many of them in rural constituencies, that used their vote this election to express their frustration with the federal government.

"And to those voters, I want to say,I hear you ... We will be unrelenting in our in defending our Saskatchewan industries and our Saskatchewan people."

WATCH | Scott Moe's victory speech:

'I gotta tell you, I'm feeling pretty good tonight,' Scott Moe says in victory speech

4 years ago

Duration 1:30

In a much shorter speech earlier in the night, Meilisaid his volunteers and fellow candidates ran a great campaign but that "it wasn't enough this time."

"For those who voted for changebecause there are thousands upon thousands of people across Saskatchewan who voted for change tonightI want to tell you, this is not the end. This is the beginning."

WATCH |Meilisays NDP showing 'wasn't enough this time':

NDP Leader Ryan Meili concedes Sask. election in his speech

4 years ago

Duration 1:19

The Saskatchewan Party has won a majority government for the fourth time in a row, CBC News is projecting.

Saskatchewan Green Party Leader Naomi Hunter wasprojected to losein the Regina Elphinstone-Centre riding, while the leader of the new Buffalo Party,Wade Sira, wasexpected to lose in Martensville-Warman.

Big bump in mail-in ballots

Arecord-breaking185,061 votersattendedadvance polls this year. Elections Saskatchewan also saw a notable bump in mail-in votes, but those won't be counted until later. Therefore, the final results forridings that have historically been close races, and where a large number of people mailed in ballots this year, werestill uncertain as the night came to a close.

As of midnight Tuesday, Meili'smain opponent, the Saskatchewan Party's Ryland Hunter, led by83 votes with most polls reporting, butmore than 1,000 mail-in ballots remained uncounted. Elections Saskatchewan workers won't begin counting mail-in ballot resultsuntil Wednesday.

The last time the province was governed by a political party in its fourth term was the NDP,before its 2007 defeat. That party, however, had to forma coalition to stay in power.

The last party to win a long string of majorities in Saskatchewan without any help was the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation and its leader Tommy Douglas, who was elected for a total of five terms.

Saskatchewan is the third province, after New Brunswick and British Columbia, to send voters to the polls since the COVID-19 pandemic hit earlier this year.

The 27-daycampaign kicked off on Sept. 29, with the economy and COVID-19 figuring largely in candidate speeches.

Both Moe and Meili wore masks as they cast their ballots. Moe did so Monday in his riding of Rosthern-Shellbrook. Meili voted in advance last week in Saskatoon.

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