- Canadian PM
Justin Trudeau is projected to form a minority government in the current snap election. - Trudeau's minority win means he will need to continue working with opposition parties to get enough support to pass laws.
- Polls closed on Monday and voting results are still being tallied.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to win a snap federal election but is unlikely to lead a majority parliamentary government after polls closed on Monday.
Results are still being tallied, but Canadian networks CTV and CBC have projected that Trudeau's Liberal Party will win to form a minority government in the country's 44th general election. The projected result is a comeback for the Liberal party, which was lagging behind their main opposition, the Conservative party, in early surveys several weeks ago.
But it's also a disappointment for the party and Trudeau. He's currently at the head of a minority in the House of Commons, meaning he has to rely on support from other parties to pass laws.
He called an election two years early, which some say was a bid to win a majority government.
Opposition leaders have criticized Trudeau's decision, citing concerns about holding an election during the COVID-19 pandemic. The prime minister said it was up to Canadians to decide which party would lead them through their pandemic response.
The projected minority win means he will need to continue working with the opposition on future national decisions.
Trudeau's closest ally in that regard has been the leftwing New Democratic Party (NDP), a much smaller party that has lent support to his pandemic relief programs that pay unemployed Canadians up to $1,566 a month, reported Politico.
His Liberal Party was leading with 157 seats out of 338, per Elections Canada at around 12:40 a.m. Ottawa time. They need 170 seats in the House of Commons to form a majority government.
These results indicate the party's popularity has declined since Trudeau was first elected leader in 2015. Back then, the Liberal party took 184 seats and won a majority government, but subsequently lost their majority in the 2019 election with 157 seats.
As Monday's election drew closer, polls indicated that Trudeau was not only going to fall short of a majority government, but that his job was now on the line.
Earlier on Saturday, he warned Canadians that voting for smaller left-wing parties may result in the Conservative party gaining the upper hand and winning the election, per Reuters. In August, he promised to ban foreign home buyers for two years if he gets re-elected.