The Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador has formally requested judicial recounts in three electoral districts: Placentia West-Bellevue, Topsail-Paradise, and Lewisporte-Twillingate. The party’s candidates in these districts, Brian Keating, Dan Bobbett, and Derek Bennett, competed in the recent provincial election.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the party emphasized the importance of ensuring every vote is accurately counted in adherence to the law and to uphold democratic principles, especially in districts with closely contested election results.
Placentia West-Bellevue saw Progressive Conservative incumbent Jeff Dwyer claim victory on election night, defeating Keating by a narrow margin of 64 votes. Similarly, Bobbett lost to PC incumbent Paul Dinn in Topsail-Paradise by 102 votes, while Bennett was narrowly defeated by PC Mark Butt in Lewisporte-Twillingate by just 18 votes. Bennett, a former house speaker, filed for a judicial recount with the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador last Friday.
The province has stringent criteria for electoral recounts, typically requiring a margin larger than 10 votes to trigger a recount. Notably, former NDP leader Alison Coffin’s request for a recount in 2021 was denied when she lost to former Liberal John Abbott by 53 votes.
Although the margins in two of the contested districts exceed the 10-vote threshold, a successful recount in all three districts could result in a tie of 18 seats each for the Liberals and Progressive Conservatives in the House of Assembly. Presently, the PCs hold a majority government with 21 seats, while the Liberals form the Official Opposition with 15 seats.
Meanwhile, Progressive Conservative premier-designate Tony Wakeham is set to be sworn in on Wednesday morning at Government House in St. John’s, along with the announcement of his inaugural cabinet. The PC Party criticized the Liberal Party’s decision to pursue recounts, denouncing it as a misuse of the judicial system and a ploy to retain power. They vowed to uphold the election’s integrity amidst the ongoing recount process.