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The governing Ontario Liberal Party led by Premier David Peterson, was defeated by a large unexpected protest vote. Peterson was accused of opportunism in calling an election just three years into his mandate, and in a shocking upset, the New Democratic Party, led by Bob Rae, won a majority government. This marked the first, and to date the only time the NDP formed the government in Ontario. Mike Harris's Progressive Conservative Party was unable to overcome voter distrust of the federal Progressive Conservative government of Brian Mulroney. His party managed to win four more seats than in the 1987 election, however. Although Harris was from northern Ontario, the PC Party was particularly weak in that region, placing fourth, behind the Liberals, NDP and the right-wing, fringe Confederation of Regions Party (CoR) in six northern Ontario ridings (Algoma, Cochrane South, Nickel Belt, Sudbury, Sudbury East and Sault Ste. Marie). The CoR Party also placed ahead of the PC Party in the Renfrew North and Cornwall ridings in eastern Ontario. Although they only received 1.9% of the vote provincewide, they managed 7.8% in the 33 ridings in which they actually fielded a candidate. The Green Party of Ontario placed third, ahead of the NDP, in Parry Sound riding, where former Liberal leadership candidate Richard Thomas was the party's candidate. |