Voters in British Columbia, Brazil, and Serbia went to the polls this month, with the conservatives emerging victorious in one while falling short in the others.
In British Columbia, Lorne Doerkson’s B.C. Conservatives won 64 of 93 seats and 48% of the vote, ousting incumbent Premier David Eby’s New Democrats. Turnout, 48.1%, was the lowest since at least 1996. Analysts blamed Eby’s early snap call and Green vote-splitting. Eby conceded and resigned as NDP leader, while Doerkson pledged to “hit the ground running.” The final count is Nov. 6, and no swearing-in date has been set.
In Brazil, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of the Workers’ Party (PT) won re-election 51.79% to 48.21%, over Liberal Party Sen. Flavio Bolsonaro, the son his predecessor. Turnout was about 81%, up from the first round after Lula’s camp staged mass rallies; Bolsonaro had campaigned on fighting crime. This result was considered an upset, given polling showing Bolsonaro in the lead.
In Serbia, the student-backed Student List opposition won 52.5% to 39.3% for former President Aleksandar Vucic’s conservative United Serbia bloc, preliminary electoral-commission results show. Turnout was 68.8%, the highest since Yugoslavia’s breakup. The list grew out of protests after a 2024 station-canopy collapse killed 16. and have since become anti-corruption and anti-establishment focused. The list has not named a prime minister. Final results are due in early November, and parliament must convene within 30 days of them.
