B.C. Green MLA Sonia Furstenau elected new party leader

Vancouver Island Green MLA Sonia Furstenau is the BC Green Party's new leader.

A leadership contest was needed after former leader Andrew Weaver announced in January that he was stepping down as leader, citing health problems. Adam Olsen, Green MLA for Saanich North, has been the party's interim leader since Weaver stepped aside.

In a leadership contest, Furstenau beat out two other leadership candidates -- Cam Brewer and Kim Darwin -- in a second ballot. Darwin was eliminated in the first round of voting. Furstenau beat out  Brewer on a second ballot, winning 52.4 per cent.

In her acceptance speech Monday, Furstenau called on NDP Premier John Horgan not to call a snap election this fall.

Furstenau talked about "the spectre of a completely unnecessary, irresponsible early election in the middle of a pandemic simply because it might benefit one party's political future."

Horgan has neither confirmed nor denied that he is planning to call an election this fall, but polling suggests that the NDP's popularity is high, in part due to positive views of the way his government has handled the COVID-19 pandemic. Horgan has been cagey about the topic, refusing to rule out the possibility of a fall election.

"To John Horgan I say, you have a responsibility to govern, not play politics," Fursteanu said.

Horgan's NDP government has only been able to govern thanks to the Green Party. In the last election, the B.C. Liberals actually won more seats than the NDP.

But Horgan's NDP were able to wrest the seat of government from the Liberals after striking an alliance with the Greens in the form of a confidence and supply agreement.

If Horgan were to call a fall election, it's possible the NDP could win enough seats that his party would not need support from the Greens in order to form government.

More to come...