B.C. Attorney General Wally Oppal said he is disappointed to learn that he has been defeated by independent challenger Vicki Huntington in a recount of the May 12 provincial election in the riding of Delta South.
But Oppal said he has no regrets about his decision to run in the riding where government decisions to build power lines and new highways has clearly upset local residents, making defeat for the BC Liberals a strong possibility.
"My kids went to school there and I coached basketball [in the riding]. So it was logical that I run there,'' he said.
Oppal sees the result is a clear sign of voter discontent in Delta South. "There is no doubt that there is unhappiness with the government," he said.
His comments came after Elections BC confirmed that Huntington won by 32 votes over Oppal, a former B.C. Supreme Court judge and one of the province's most high-profile politicians.
The results came in as 918 absentee ballots were tallied.
The count came in at 9,977 votes for Huntington and 9,945 votes for Oppal.
Because the margin of the win was so close, the vote will now go to a judicial count to confirm the result.
Meanwhile, the BC Liberals took a seat away from the New Democratic Party in another recount.
Liberal Donna Barnett was the loser on election night on May 12, but Elections BC says she's the winner after a recount, defeating New Democrat Charlie Wyse by 88 votes.
Wyse was ahead by 23 votes on election night, but that results changed after an automatic recount over the past two days that included 977 absentee ballots.
The current standing of the legislature is now 50 Liberals, 35 NDP and one independent.
With files by The Canadian Press.
