Polls close in British Columbia, political parties begin wait for results

VANCOUVER – Voters in British Columbia have cast their ballots and the waiting begins for the outcome as the polls have closed in the provincial election.

The election campaign began four weeks ago with Liberal Leader Christy Clark and the NDP's John Horgan locked in a tight race to become B.C.'s next premier, and Green Leader Andrew Weaver looking to make a historic breakthrough for his third-place party.

The Liberals are trying to win a fifth successive majority government after holding power for 16 years.

Clark's strategy marked a return to the Liberals' winning approach in 2013, when she promoted her party as the only one that could create and protect jobs while portraying the NDP as disastrous managers of the economy.

Horgan sought to portray Clark as out of touch with regular British Columbians who feel the economy is not working for them, while Weaver cast the Greens as political outsiders.

The NDP focused largely on the seat-rich Lower Mainland, home to a number of battleground ridings, in its bid to defeat the Liberals.