Tuesday's provincial election in British Columbia is setting up to be the closest vote in over 20 years, as polls show provincial Liberals and New Democrats nearly tied in public support — a split that could give the edge to Liberal Premier Christy Clark over John Horgan and the NDP.
According to the latest survey, the Grits and NDP are tied at 39% apiece.
That's a significant reversal of fortunes from a little over two weeks ago, when the gap between the two parties stood at seven points in the polls to the NDP's benefit.
Andrew Weaver's Green Party follows in third at 19% support, while about 3% of British Columbians are expected to vote for other parties and independent candidates.
With these levels of support, the Liberals are narrowly favoured in the seat projection, with 44 seats to 41 for the NDP and two for the Greens. To form a majority government would require 44 seats in the 87-seat legislature.
While that points to the narrowest of majority governments, the B.C. Liberals have a higher seat ceiling and thus a better chance of winning than the NDP.
The odds of a minority government stand at about one-in-five — significant for a province that hasn't had a minority government since the 1950s.
