The divisive election in British Columbia has left the NDP majority reeling

This campaign to choose British Columbia's next government, marked by name-calling and fear-mongering, resulted in a divided vote on how to address the province's most pressing problems.

It is the result of asking voters to choose: dissatisfaction with an incumbent party that is currently running a $9 billion deficit while the cost of living continues to rise; or you stay loyal to them because you are unsure or uncomfortable about the alternative – a party that has not elected an MP since 1978.

In the end, their tactics weren't enough to significantly sway voters, even though both the BC NDP and the BC Conservative Party were calling each other names and spreading fear about each other – meaning the makeup of this fall's legislative session is still uncertain .

Because recounts will certainly occur in multiple rounds, early Sunday's count showed the BC NDP won or was elected in 46 rounds, the BC Conservative Party won or was elected in 45 rounds and the BC Green Party was elected in two rounds.

If these numbers hold, the results will return the province to the political situation of 2017, when the NDP and Greens signed an agreement to run the legislature, with the previously governing British Columbia Liberals serving as the official opposition.

This time, however, it is unclear how power-sharing – and between which parties – would work.

However, Eby said on election night that he had already contacted the Greens.

There was little commonality between the two main parties in this election campaign, as each thought they could deliver a decisive blow to the other.

“We have a very wounded and divided province,” said Kareem Mallan, who was Kevin Falcon's leadership campaign manager with the BC United party but chose the NDP after BC United suspended its campaign amid a Conservative surge.

“The days of coalition building are long gone.”

But why should you cooperate when you are the ruling party and have difficulty seeing your opponent as a credible threat? Why work together when you're an aspiring partner with nothing to lose?

At the head of the Conservatives, John Rustad emerged from a political deadlock and potentially won 45 seats.

“It is important to keep fighting,” Rustad said in a speech on election night, although there was no official call for results. He promised to overthrow a minority government that did not include his party as quickly as possible.

VIEW | John Rustad vows to “keep fighting” in his election night speech:

John Rustad hails 'historic night' for British Columbia Conservatives

The winner of the BC election remained unclear late Saturday, but BC Conservative leader John Rustad said it was a great night for his party.

Despite a poor performance during the campaign's only televised debate, a party platform released four days before Election Day, and controversy over the candidates, Rustad and his message to voters clearly resonated.

He asked if things were better for them now after seven years of NDP rule. He brought into play populist measures such as a discount for renters and homeowners, a tougher fight against crime and even a return to plastic straws.

It was enough for the NDP to win seats in constituencies in Surrey, Richmond and the Fraser Valley, where the economy, public safety and even the way sexuality is taught in schools were key issues during the Conservative campaign the NDP was followed by An.

The NDP chose controversial candidates and even called on Rustad to drop seven of them because their views “have no place in a political party that wants to lead British Columbia.”

The tactic backfired. Some of them were either elected or were about to be elected, suggesting that voters may have been less worried about the candidates than about giving the NDP another mandate.

“This was a very, very hard-fought election campaign and we knew every vote would count,” Eby said in a speech on election night as results stalled.

His party provisionally achieved the largest share of the vote at 44.5 percent, which he said was a confirmation of the NDP's “progressive values.”

And Eby acknowledged that Rustad has succeeded in connecting with voters on key election issues such as affordability, health care and social unrest.

“We have to do better. We will do better,” he acknowledged, while vowing to be the premier who would bring B.C. together.

VIEW | David Eby reflects on what comes next after the sobering election:

BC NDP leader David Eby addresses his supporters after the party lost several seats

Eby gave a speech to his supporters after a disappointing evening for his party.

However, he now faces the reality that his party may have fallen from 55 out of 87 seats in the upcoming 43rd Parliament to 46 out of 93 seats.

The provincial electoral map with preliminary results shows the north, east and center of the province almost entirely blue, while the coast is almost entirely orange.

If the current results hold, forming a government for the NDP or the Conservatives will come down to who can best woo the BC Green Party and the two seats it won, although leader Sonia Furstenau is in the of her disputed argument was beaten.

Missing votes

It may be that both the NDP and the Conservatives are gnashing their teeth over votes that both parties could have captured in other ways during the election campaign.

Almost 71,000 votes went to independent or non-party candidates.

Power outages and flooding caused by an atmospheric river that flowed across southern British Columbia on Saturday also likely deterred some voters from casting their ballots.

“It definitely makes me think about voter turnout,” said Shachi Kurl, a political analyst at the Angus Reid Institute.

Doesn't matter. The election campaign that decided who would form the government matched the weather on election day: gloomy and ominous.