The 2011 federal election is over- and as a result, so are the Liberals and the Bloc Quebecois, it would seem.
The Bloc lost 45 seats, going from 49 to four in Monday’s election, while the Liberals dropped from 77 to 44 seats.
A big surprise on the national scene was the performance of the NDP, taking on the role of official opposition by taking 102 seats, up from 37 in 2008. The Conservatives upped their total from 143 to 167, enough to form a majority government. Nationally, voter turnout was up as well, to 61.4 per cent.
Locally, in the riding of BC Southern Interior, incumbent Alex Atamanenko easily won, taking 25,176 votes to nearest candidate Stephen Hill, at 19,276. The totals represent 50.9 and 38.9 per cent of the popular vote.
Green Party candidate Bryan Hunt won 6.4 per cent of the popular vote with 3,173, and Liberal Shan Lavell took 1,872 votes.
Voter turnout in the riding (at 66.4 per cent) exceeded the national average of 61.4 per cent, and the provincial average, which was 60.1 per cent.
In the riding of Okanaga-Coquihalla, Dan Albas prevailed as successor to former MP Stockwell Day, winning 53.6 per cent of the popular vote at 28,525 ballots.
Second place went to NDP candidate David Finnis, with 24.1 per cent of the popular vote and 12,853 ballots; next was Liberal candidate John Kidder at 10.9 per cent and 5,815; Green Party candidate Dan Bouchard with 9.4 per cent and 4,997; Conservative Independent Sean Upshaw , 1.6 per cent and 860 ballots; and finally Dietrich Wittel at .3 per cent and 179 ballots.