SASKATOON -- During a press conference called with less than an hour's notice Wednesday afternoon, NDP Leader Ryan Meili said he's "excited to get back to the Legislature."
"I'm so honoured to be able to continue to represent the people of Saskatoon Meewasin," Meili said.
"I do want to thank (Sask. Party candidate) Ryland Hunter. He worked really hard, a hard-fought campaign in Saskatoon Meewasin.”
According to the party, while the final vote count is not complete for Meili's constituency, the results appear to be trending towards a victory for the party leader.
Meili's political future was left in limbo Monday night, with the race in his constituency too close to call after the majority of polls reported.
If the win is confirmed, Meili will have avoided the fate that befell his NDP leaders during the 2016 and 2011 elections.
During the news conference, Meli also said two other NDP candidates had picked up wins — Matt Love in Saskatoon Eastview and Jennifer Bowe in Saskatoon University.
Sask. Party candidate Chris Guérette, who ran against Love in Saskatoon Eastview, appeared to concede in a tweet sent Wednesday afternoon.
"Congratulations to @MattloveNDP and his team for his election win today. The voters of Saskatoon Eastview have themselves a hardworking MLA and I wish you well over the next 4 years serving a fabulous constituency," Guérette said.
According to Elections Sask., there are 15 scrutineers from each party who observe the vote count and sign an oath of secrecy at the start of each day.
At the time of the news conference, Elections Sask. had not released results for the three constituencies mentioned by Meili.
According to the official count, Meili held a 209-vote lead over Hunter as of Wednesday afternoon.
