B.C. Liberals' Ben Stewart wins Kelowna-West byelection
Stewart resigned as MLA for the same district in 2013 to allow Christy Clark to run in byelection
B.C. Liberal Ben Stewart has easily won the Kelowna-West byelection, securing 7,692 votes, or just over 56 per cent of total votes cast.
"I'm humbled by the fact that the people of Kelowna West ... saw fit to elect me as MLA to represent them in the coming years, and I look forward to doing it with the same effort that I put into it in the past," said Stewart at his victory party.
"I'll be in there like the rest of the MLAs, making certain that we hold [the government] accountable for every dollar they spend because they're going to spend lots."
Shelley Cook of the B.C. NDP finished second with 3,197 votes, followed by the Green Party's Robert Stupka in third with 1,727.
Mark Thompson of the B.C. Conservative Party received 898 votes ahead of Libertarian Kyle Geronazzo with 110.
Stewart gave up the seat for then-premier Christy Clark after she lost her Vancouver riding to the NDP in the 2013 provincial election.
Clark resigned as MLA for Kelowna-West on Aug. 4, just over a month after Premier John Horgan was sworn in. He took office after forming a historic alliance with the B.C. Green Party that followed a tumultuous provincial election.
Clark also resigned as leader of the B.C. Liberal party last summer, saying she was leaving politics and public life for good.
Horgan called for the byelection last month.
The Liberals have won the seat all five times it's been contested.
The win gives the Liberals the most seats in the Legislature with 42. The New Democrats have 41 seats along with the Greens who hold three. There is one independent member, former Liberal and current Speaker Darryl Plecas.
The Greens and NDP have an agreement of support in the Legislature and together hold 44 of 87 seats.
