VICTORIA, BC –
David Eby will be British Columbia’s next premier after his sole challenger in the NDP leadership race was disqualified due to what the party’s chief electoral officer called “gross misconduct.”
Eby will be officially declared party leader on Friday and sworn in to the top job weeks later. On Thursday, he told reporters the details of the transition were still being worked out.
“I don’t think this is how any of us expected this leadership contest to end, so that’s definitely a mixed feeling for me,” Eby added.
The race ended when Eby’s only competition was expelled from the race. The party’s Chief Electoral Officer found that Anjali Appadurai broke the rules by colluding with a third party to essentially hijack the NDP. The provincial executive of the party voted its disqualification on Wednesday evening.
The leadership contest began when Prime Minister John Horgan announced his resignation. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Horgan said he was “ready to go”.
When asked why the names of those who decided on our province’s next premier were not available, Horgan became defensive.
“Leave them alone,” he exclaimed. “They’re doing their job, volunteers, and they’re going to be abused by lots of people who cheated and want to get away with it?”
“I can’t be more frustrated with this type of brutality,” Horgan added before ending the press conference early.
Climate activist Appadurai and her supporters gathered at the Legislative Assembly. Appadurai continued to deny wrongdoing, accusing the party establishment of rigging the race.
“What happened here in this race was just power work the way it was designed to work,” she told a crowd of a few dozen people.
The opposition claimed the kinds of things the NDP was challenging were the norm in leadership contests. Liberal Leader Kevin Falcon added that he would appreciate more oversight.
“I’ve had letters from the Steelworkers that have made it very clear that, you know, say we need to register and elect David Eby to achieve this,” he told reporters, holding up a letter.
Falcon added that the letter said people were not obligated to remain members, that they could resign after their candidate was elected. Falcon maintains this is the same thing Appadurai was voted out for.
Steelworkers insist that this letter is not an official communication. A spokesperson told CTV News that a local union aired it to its members and there was no cooperation with Eby’s camp.
On Friday, Eby will officially become prime minister-designate. Already, he is trying to assure new members who signed up because of Appadurai’s views that he is serious about climate action.
“We’re here in the fog of wildfires, drought, flooding in Abbotsford, it’s a huge concern,” Eby added.
Eby will take over despite not being elected by the public or NDP members. His colleagues insist that there will be no snap elections.
The premier-in-waiting will now have to convince not only new party members, but other voters across the province, that he is up to the task. It starts on Friday, when he is expected to present his plan for his first 100 days in office.
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