The United Conservatives will have one MLA in the capital city after unofficial results released Friday show Kaycee Madu won in Edmonton-South West.
Madu defeated NDP candidate John Archer by just over 700 votes. The UCP was close to winning Edmonton-West Henday, but NDP candidate Jon Carson held over UCP candidate Nicole Williams by just over 400 votes.
Jason Kenney’s party dominated in the majority of the province with 63 seats, but struggled to make ground in Edmonton—where the NDP has been projected to win all but one riding.
The premier-designate, speaking outside the Alberta legislature a day after the election, said his government will be there for all Edmontonians.
Some think a lack of a conservative presence in Edmonton could make the government’s decisions lopsided, but an area political analyst says that might not necessarily be the case.
“It is worrisome because Edmonton won’t have the numbers in the caucus to advance the interests of the city,” Chaldeans Mensah told CTV News.“We may see a slight restraint going forward, but I don't think the signal we're receiving is that there's going to be Klein-era type cutbacks against the public sector.”
Mensah said he believes Kenney might look to impress Edmontonians to win even more Albertan seats next election.
A similar scenario occurred in 1993, where the Liberal Party kept Ralph Klein’s Progressive Conservative candidates out of Edmonton.
“That Klein government really favoured Calgary. Edmonton lost out in so many ways,” Mensah said.
Mensah believes Madu will become a cabinet member to give Edmonton representation in the legislature.
With files from CTV Edmonton’s Timm Bruch
