The Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador has officially requested judicial recounts in the electoral districts of Placentia West-Bellevue, Topsail-Paradise, and Lewisporte-Twillingate. Candidates Brian Keating, Dan Bobbett, and Derek Bennett, who ran for the Liberals in these districts during the recent provincial election, are involved in this process.
In a statement issued on Tuesday afternoon, the party emphasized the importance of conducting judicial recounts in these closely contested districts to ensure that every vote is accurately tallied as per the law and to uphold the democratic principles.
Following the election night results, Placentia West-Bellevue was secured by Progressive Conservative incumbent Jeff Dwyer, defeating Keating by a margin of 64 votes. Similarly, Bobbett faced a loss to PC incumbent Paul Dinn in Topsail-Paradise with a lead of 102 votes. In Lewisporte-Twillingate, Bennett lost his seat to PC candidate Mark Butt by a narrow 18-vote difference. Bennett, a former house speaker, has filed for a recount with the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador.
The province has stringent criteria for electoral recounts, typically requiring a margin larger than 10 votes to trigger a recount. Notably, a recount was denied to former NDP leader Alison Coffin in 2021 when she lost to former Liberal John Abbott by 53 votes, falling below the threshold.
Despite the challenges, if the recounts favor the Liberals in all three districts, it would result in both the Liberals and Progressive Conservatives holding 18 seats each in the House of Assembly. Presently, the PCs maintain a majority government with 21 seats, while the Liberals are the Official Opposition with 15 seats.
On another front, 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 formation of his inaugural cabinet.
In response to the Liberal’s recount request, the PC Party criticized the move as a “waste of the courts time” and a “scheme,” accusing the Liberals of resorting to legal maneuvers to retain power. The PCs expressed disappointment but affirmed their commitment to upholding the integrity of the election process.