International
Canadians Re-elect Conservatives
By BBC 15/10/08
Oct 15, 2008 - 12:31:08 PM

Canada's ruling Conservative Party has been re-elected to another minority government, according to early results from Canada's elections agency.

The Conservatives, led by Stephen Harper, won 143 seats, an increase but still short of the 155 needed for a parliamentary majority.

The opposition Liberal Party, led by Stephane Dion, has won 78 seats, a loss of more than 15 seats.

It will be Canada's third minority government in four years.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper called the snap poll - the country's third election in four years - in a bid to secure a majority in parliament.

Early results indicated that his Conservatives had taken 38% of the vote, the Elections Canada website reported.

The Liberals secured 26.3% of the vote.

Canada was the first big economic power to go to the polls to elect a new government since the financial crisis.

Conservative MP Jason Kenny hailed his party's result in the present circumstances.

"Every other incumbent government in the Western world is in serious political trouble with the economic situation," he said.

"Ours is probably the only one that could be re-elected - let alone with an increased mandate."

Stephen Harper campaigning in Toronto, Ontario
Stephen Harper called the snap poll last month

Mr Harper called the election last month amid hopes in his Conservative party that they could secure a majority.

But he was criticised during the campaign for not showing enough empathy with Canadians who have lost money during the upheaval on the stock markets.

Liberal leader Stephane Dion had been promoting an ambitious green carbon tax plan.

But Mr Dion, a French Canadian from Quebec, had difficulty connecting with English-speaking voters, the BBC's Lee Carter says.


Source: Ocnus.net 2008