The latest developments as the Saskatchewan election results come in

SASKATOON — The latest developments in the Saskatchewan election. All times CT:

12:10 a.m.

It’s possible Scott Moe will get all of his cabinet members back.

Only Advanced Education Minister Tina Beaudry-Mellor is in jeopardy. 

She led her Regina University seat by fewer than 200 votes with mail-in ballots to be counted in the coming days.

Elections Saskatchewan says more than 1,800 mail-in ballots were requested for that constituency.

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11:55 p.m.

Whether NDP Leader Ryan Meili holds onto his seat in the Saskatchewan legislature will come down to mail-in votes.

Meili was trailing his Saskatchewan Party challenger in Saskatoon Meewasin by 83 votes by night’s end.

Elections Saskatchewan says more than 1,600 mail-in ballot were requested in that constituency.

They will be counted in the coming days. 

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10:35

NDP Leader Ryan Meili is in a race for his seat that’s proving too close to call.

Meili has held a slim lead over his Saskatchewan Party challenger for most of the night in Saskatoon Meewasin.

But, with most of the polls reporting in and only a 210 vote lead, the NDP leader may need to wait until mail-in ballots are counted in the coming days before he can reclaim his seat.

Elections Saskatchewan says more than 1,600 mail-in ballots were requested in that constituency. 

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10:05 p.m.

A party that believes Saskatchewan people should be allowed to vote on independence from Canada has taken nearly four per cent of the popular vote in the provincial election.

Candidates with the Buffalo Party of Saskatchewan are running second in front of the NDP in a handful of rural ridings, including Cannington, Cypress Hills and Kindersley. 

Premier Scott Moe says its clear some used their vote to express their frustration with Ottawa and he hears them.

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9:45 p.m.

Saskatchewan Party Leader Scott Moe says his team is celebrating a “big honkin'” election win.

In the last few days of the campaign, the party held “big honkin'” car rallies in which supporters stayed in their vehicles to help limit the spread of COVID-19. 

Moe says he will govern for all the people of Saskatchewan, not just those who voted for him.

Moe’s Saskatchewan Party handily won a majority government, its fourth in a row.

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9:35 p.m.

NDP Leader Ryan Meili says he’s proud of the campaign his party ran but it wasn’t enough.

In a brief speech, Meili says he is willing to work with Saskatchewan Party Premier Scott Moe as the leader of the Official Opposition.

He says the NDP will be the strongest Opposition the Saskatchewan legislature has seen in years.

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9:25 p.m.

While the NDP has gone down to defeat, the party is showing better than it did in the last election in 2016.

New Democrats were elected or leading in 15 seats as the early returns came in, though some of the races were tight.

The party only won 10 seats in the 2016 election.

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8:50 p.m.

Saskatchewan Party Leader Scott Moe has handily won his seat of Rosthern-Shellbrook in the provincial election.

Moe, who is 47, was first elected to the rural constituency in the 2011 vote and won again in 2016.

In 2018, he became premier after winning a leadership vote that was held when former premier Brad Wall retired.

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8:45 p.m.

The Saskatchewan Party will form its fourth straight majority government.

The party has taken enough of the province’s 61 seats in the legislature to win the provincial election and secure the majority victory. 

It’s Scott Moe’s first victory as a leader in a general election.

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8:30 p.m.

The Saskatchewan Party has jumped out to an early lead as the first results have started to come out in the Saskatchewan election.

As expected, the incumbent party is showing well in the rural areas and held the early lead in several urban seats as well.

Early returns suggest NDP Leader Ryan Meili is in for a tight battle in his seat of Saskatoon Meewasin.

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8:00 p.m.

The polls have closed and the votes are being counted in the Saskatchewan election.

The campaign was a two-party race between the incumbent Saskatchewan Party and the NDP. 

The Saskatchewan Party is seeking its fourth consecutive majority government, this time under leader Scott Moe.

The NDP and its leader, Ryan Meili, are looking to improve on the 13 seats they held when the 61-seat legislature was dissolved at the start of the campaign.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 26, 2020.

The Canadian Press