Kelly Gallagher, Martin Charlton Communications
The Saskatchewan provincial election has mostly wrapped up with the exception of counting mail in ballots that could determine the outcome of three close races in Saskatoon. Depending on those results it will not change the outcome that the Saskatchewan Party has been re-elected with a governing majority.
First off, the polls were wrong. Leading up to election day no less than five polling firms showed that the NDP had the momentum and was going to win the popular vote by two to five points. The momentum may have been real however it did not translate into the predicted vote.
Where it stands now, the NDP has just under forty percent of the vote and the Sask Party with fifty three percent. That is a thirteen percent difference. Quite a miss.
The NDP doubled their caucus however it is primarily made up of Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) representing urban constituencies. The Saskatchewan Party is now a caucus of rural and smaller centres. Saskatchewan is not unique in this way. The current world of politics at all levels is us versus them.
Both parties will have to do some introspection sooner rather than later to understand what they need to do to bridge the divide between those who did and did not support them.
