Voters go to the polls on P.E.I., Liberals seeking third straight majority

CHARLOTTETOWN – Voters on Prince Edward Island will determine the fate today of a premier who has been on the job for just over two months.

After a month-long campaign, voters are deciding whether to give the Liberals led by Wade MacLauchlan a third term after winning majority governments in 2007 and 2011 under Robert Ghiz’s leadership.

Ghiz stepped down as premier in late February after MacLauchlan was named the party’s new leader.

The 60-year-old former president of the University of Prince Edward Island is up against main challenger Rob Lantz, the leader of the Progressive Conservatives.

The 45-year-old former Charlottetown city councillor also became leader of his party in February.

This campaign is the first for the NDP’s Mike Redmond and Peter Bevan-Baker of the Greens, although third parties have never done well in the province’s elections.

When the legislature was dissolved for the election, the Liberals held 20 seats, the Tories had three seats, there was one Independent and three seats were vacant.