The Coquitlam-Maillardville riding will likely stay in the NDP's hands after a count of absentee ballots gave Selina Robinson a slight edge over Liberal candidate Steve Kim.
According to Elections BC, the NDP candidate for Coquitlam-Maillardville has 35 votes more than Kim. However, these numbers are preliminary and subject to a judicial recount.
"I'm honoured, humbled, overwhelmed and overjoyed," Robinson said Tuesday morning. "I'm hopeful that the win will stand...but I'm feeling comfortable."
An election night vote on May 14 had Robinson 111 votes behind Kim but the final count had Robinson at 9,928 votes compared to Kim's 9,893, a difference of just 35 votes.
Under the Election Act the District Electoral Officer must apply to the Supreme Court for a judicial recount if the difference between the top two candidates is less than .2% of the ballots considered. (That application hasn't yet been made so it's not known when the recount will happen.)
The total ballots considered for the riding is 21,897 and the threshold for requesting a judicial recount is 43 votes.
On Tuesday morning, Kim said Monday had been an "interesting day" and he'd have to keep waiting out the process.
"We certainly have to respect the process but...at the end of the day when the final tally is posted, we have to respect the will of the people as well," Kim said.
The new vote tally is a big win for the BC NDP, whose defeat was a crushing blow after pundits expected the opposition party to win the B.C. election handily.
Leader Adrian Dix hasn't stepped down but has promised a thorough review of the election, which resulted in 50 seats for the Liberals, 33 for the NDP, one for the Green Party and one Independent.
Should Robinson keep the seat, the results will be 49 Liberal seats and 34 NDP, still a hefty majority for the governing party but nevertheless a relief for the Opposition; former NDP stalwart Diane Thorne held the riding for two terms before retiring.
Robinson would also join MLA-Elect Linda Reimer in facing a decision on whether to quit their council jobs, prompting a byelection.
Robinson said she felt it's important to step down - though she isn't sure when - because "doing both jobs is a challenge and not respectful of either job, you can't do both equally well."
Premier Christy Clark has suggested councillors who were elected to MLA positions seek permission to take an unpaid leave of absence until January, when they can quit without forcing a byelection.
