Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday faced the cold reality of a minority government that will likely be forced to tilt left to survive, a move that risks upsetting the business community and stoking alienation in oil-producing provinces.
Trudeau, one of the world’s most prominent progressive leaders, saw a sharp drop in support for his ruling Liberals across the country in an election on Monday that focused in part on two scandals that dogged the 47-year-old leader.
Preliminary results showed the Liberals elected or ahead in 157 of 338 seats, a drop of 20 from where they stood going into the vote. They also trailed the main opposition Conservatives in the popular vote by just over a percentage point.
Trudeau looks set to govern with support from the left-leaning New Democratic Party, which also lost seats but managed to do well enough to be in a position to hold the balance of power. Together, the parties would control 181 seats.