NDP candidate Yens Pedersen wins Regina Northeast byelection

The constituents of Regina Northeast have spoken and Saskatchewan NDP candidate Yens Pedersen will be the new MLA to represent the riding.

Pedersen, a lawyer by trade, defeated the Saskatchewan Party’s Gary Grewal in a byelection Wednesday night by 731 votes.

“We’ve obviously got some momentum, some wind behind our sails that makes a real difference. We think the people of Saskatchewan are getting tired of this government,” Pedersen said following the victory.

Get daily National news

Get daily Canada news delivered to your inbox so you'll never miss the day's top stories.

Sign up for daily National newsletter Get Started

By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

The four other candidates in the field represented the Saskatchewan Liberals, Greens, Progressive Conservatives and the Western Independence Party.

The Regina Northeast byelection was held to fill the seat left vacant by Saskatchewan Party MLA Kevin Doherty after he left politics in the spring.

Doherty was first elected in 2011, flipping the traditional NDP riding. Doherty most notably served as finance minister, delivering two budgets, including the unpopular 2017-18 austerity budget.

Wednesday’s byelection marked Pedersen’s third attempt to secure a seat in the legislative assembly. He previously ran for the NDP in the 2007 and 2011 general elections.

“Feels great! It’s way better than losing,” Pedersen said.

The seat count is now 48 seats for the governing Saskatchewan Party and 13 for the Opposition NDP.

This was the sixth byelection to take place since the 2016 general election. The NDP have won two in Saskatoon in addition to Wednesday’s byelection in Regina while the Saskatchewan Party retained seats in Swift Current, Melfort and Kindersley.