ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — Newfoundland and Labrador Liberal Leader and incumbent Premier Andrew Furey says he believes the province's chaotic election is legitimate.

He told a virtual news conference today that if he wins, he will have a valid mandate to govern.

Furey is defending his decision to call the election on Jan. 15 amid the COVID-19 pandemic and says he was assured by the elections authority it was prepared to run a safe vote.

The election has been mired in controversy since a COVID-19 outbreak in the St. John's region forced Elections NL to cancel all in-person voting and shift to a mail-in ballot. Special ballots must be postmarked by March 12 to be counted.

Furey says that to his knowledge, his party has not retained legal counsel, despite experts saying the results will likely wind up in court.

Progressive Conservative Leader Ches Crosbie says he has many concerns about the election, but says he'll decide whether or not it was legitimate once the votes have been tallied.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 25, 2021.

The Canadian Press

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