Justin Trudeau has been elected Prime Minister of Canada, defeating the incumbent Prime Minister Stephen Harper of the Conservative Party.
Trudeau was quick to thank his supporters, saying that they made Canadian history. He said that he wants to bring Canadians together with positive politics.
The 43 year old Trudeau ran on a campaign of anti-conservative messages that were largely embraced by the Canadian voters.
Harper had served as Prime Minister since 2006. He had been going for his fourth term as Canadian Prime Minister. Harper says that he plans to remain in Canadian Parliament and that he plans to work closely with Canada’s new Liberal government.
Liberal candidates managed to secure 184 seats in parliament, giving the Liberal Party a majority. At least 170 seats are needed for majority. The Conservative Party now only has 99 seats.
The New Democratic Party came in third place and managed to obtain 44 seats in Parliament. This is a particularly poor showing, as the group came in second place during the last election.
Some people believe that the party’s leader Thomas Mulcair might step down following the party’s undesirable result, but Mulcair has not indicated that he would do so yet. Most political analysts had expected a better performance from Mulcair and the New Democratic Party.
Additionally, the Bloc Quebecois holds ten seats in Parliament, while the Green Party has one. No other party managed to achieve a single seat.
Justin Trudeau is the son of former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, creating somewhat of a political dynasty for the Trudeau family. While some argue that Justin was only able to achieve his victory thanks to his famous last name, most acknowledge that his liberal message was exactly what Canadians wanted.
Either way, it was a clear victory for Trudeau and the Liberal Party.
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