Published: Monday, 09/20/2021 2:11 PM
General election
Ottawa (AP) – In the new elections in Canada, the first polling stations have opened. In the morning, the first of over 25 million Canadians could cast their vote in Newfoundland in the east of the vast country.
Nationwide, a close race is looming between liberal incumbent Justin Trudeau and his conservative challenger Erin O’Toole. Last polls saw the Liberals ahead. An absolute majority, however, is likely to be difficult to achieve, and a majority for the conservatives also seems unlikely.
The first results are expected on Tuesday night (CEST). Since there are more postal voters than usual, the time for meaningful results could be postponed. Trudeau has ruled the second largest country in the world in terms of area with almost 38 million inhabitants since 2015 – for two years he has only headed a minority government.
The 49-year-old had called the early vote a few weeks ago with the hope of an absolute majority, although his minority government was stable. Despite the close polls, the liberals seem to have better chances again, which is also due to the electoral system: the seats in the 338 electoral districts are distributed according to the principle of absolute majority. Traditionally, this is more favorable to the liberals. Only a few dozen contested districts are decisive – somewhat comparable to the “swing states” in the USA.
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