New York, 29 April 2025 (dpa/MIA) - Prime Minister Mark Carney's Liberals won Canada's parliamentary election on Monday, according to a forecast by public broadcaster CBC.

It will be the Liberals' fourth consecutive government, a rarity in Canadian politics, CBC reported.

It is too soon to say whether it will be a minority or majority, the broadcaster said. A party needs to win 172 seats to form a majority government.

Shortly after polls closed, Carney took to social media platform X to thank his campaign team.

"For 37 days, in every corner of this country, our team worked to build a stronger Canada," he wrote.

Around 29 million Canadians were eligible to elect all 343 members of the House of Commons in Ottawa.

Canada's electoral system is based on first-past-the-post voting in single-member constituencies. Should Carney not secure a majority, he would need support from smaller factions such as the New Democrats, the Greens, or the Quebec-based Bloc Québécois.

Carney, a former central banker, gained momentum in recent weeks, buoyed by US President Donald Trump's combative trade stance and threats of annexation.

The opposition Conservatives, led by Pierre Poilievre, campaigned on a platform of tax cuts and reduced government spending.

The vote was affected by Trump's comments, as he repeated his calls for Canada to become the "cherished 51st. State of the United States," a suggestion rejected by leading Canadian politicians and voters alike.

Trump's tariffs against Canada, part of his sweeping tariff policy, irked lawmakers and residents alike and has been seen as an act of bullying against a smaller, weaker neighbour who has long stood with the US.

Poilievre's populist approach and Trump-style rhetoric appeared to have unsettled some voters amid heightened tensions with Washington.

Trump, seemingly oblivious to his largely unfavourable reviews from the north, said with Canada as the 51st state, there would be "no more artificially drawn line from many years ago. Look how beautiful this land mass would be. Free access with NO BORDER," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on election day.

Trump, referring to himself, called on Canadian voters to "elect the man who has the strength and wisdom to cut your taxes in half, increase your military power, for free, to the highest level in the World," and cut tariffs.

"America can no longer subsidize Canada with the Hundreds of Billions of Dollars a year that we have been spending in the past. It makes no sense unless Canada is a State," he added.

More than 7 million Canadians cast early ballots — an all-time high, according to election officials.

The Liberals have governed Canada, a nation of roughly 40 million people, since 2016. Initially elected with a majority, they have led a minority government in recent years under former prime minister Justin Trudeau. Citing declining public support due largely to cost-of-living concerns, Trudeau left office in March, paving the way for Carney's election as party leader and the next prime minister.

Carney subsequently called snap elections, pre-empting a looming no-confidence vote. Under Canadian law, the next election was due by the fall — four years after the last vote in October 2021.

The election was held in the wake of a tragic incident in Vancouver at the weekend, when a man drove a car into a crowd of people at a Filipino community street festival, killing at least 11 people. A 30-year-old suspect was arrested. Police said it was not an act of terrorism.

Photo: dpa