Prince Edward Island.

• Author: Johnston, Marian
• Position: Legislative Reports

The Sixty-second General Assembly was dissolved on April 30, and a provincial general election was held on May 28, 2007. At dissolution, the Progressive Conservative party held 23 seats, and the Liberals, 4. The election resulted in a complete reversal, with the Liberals winning 23 of the 27 electoral districts, and the Progressive Conservatives, 4 seats.

Former Premier Pat Binns, was re-elected but on August 30th he was named Canada's Ambassador to Ireland. Much of his former cabinet was defeated, with the exceptions of Jim Bagnall, who held the portfolio of Agriculture, Fisheries and Aquaculture; and Mike Currie, former Minister of Development and Technology.

Ron MacKinley, Dean of the Prince Edward Island House, was returned to the Legislative Assembly for the eighth time. He was first elected in a by-election in December 1985.

The Liberals received 52.93% of the popular vote; and the Progressive Conservatives, 41.35%.

The Green Party, not a registered political party at the time of the previous general election in 2003, fielded a slate of 18 candidates and captured 3.04% of the popular vote. The fourth political party, the New Democrats, had 15 candidates and received 1.96% of the popular vote. Only two candidates ran as independents, and they received 0.73% of the popular vote.

During the Third Session of the Sixty-second General Assembly, Bill No. 38, An Act to Amend the Election Act, received Royal Assent on April 27, 2007. Among other things, the Bill provides for general elections to be held on the second Monday in May in the fourth calendar year following ordinary polling day in the most recent general election. This means that Islanders are scheduled to go to the polls next on May 9, 2011.

It's said that politics is a way of life on Prince Edward Island, and the voter turnout for the general election would seem to support this view. A total of 97,810 residents were eligible to vote and percentage voter turnout was 83.5%.

Over the past 40 years, there has been only one general election where voter turnout dipped below...