Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper was headed for re-election with a second straight minority government, according to projections Tuesday night by CTV based on preliminary results.
Harper’s Conservative Party was leading in 105 districts, or 50 short of a parliamentary majority in Canada’s 308-seat legislature, according to early results on Elections Canada’s website.
Falling short of winning the majority would force Harper to continue relying on the opposition to pass legislation, as he has since first winning power in 2006.
The Liberal Party led in 68 districts, followed by the Bloc Quebecois with 31 and the New Democratic Party with 26. Harper had 127 seats when elections were called on Sept. 7.
The opposition Liberals have traditionally been the party in power, forming the government for most of Canada’s 141 years. But the left-of-center vote was divided among four parties, giving an edge to the Conservative Party.
The party winning the most seats generally forms the government, with its leader becoming prime minister. The opposition parties could unite and topple Harper if they won enough seats for a majority, but analysts said that was unlikely because the parties have no tradition of forming such coalitions.
Liberal leader Stephane Dion’s campaign was hindered by his unpopular plan to tax all fossil fuels except gasoline. By perceptions, he is a weak leader. A former professor from French-speaking Quebec, Dion also suffered in other regions because he frequently mangles English grammar and his accent makes him hard for English speakers to understand.
Analysts said Harper wanted the election before the economy got worse and ahead of the U.S. presidential election in November, which could put a Democrat in the White House and encourage Canadians to choose a more liberal government.
Opponents sought to paint Harper as a right-winger who would seek to reshape Canada like a U.S.-style Republican and sought to tie him to the unpopular President Bush.
Bloomberg News Service contributed to this report.
