Calgary recount confirms Jeromy Farkas elected as mayor

A recount conducted by Elections Calgary has confirmed that Jeromy Farkas will be Calgary’s next mayor.

Sonya Sharp, the runner-up in the election, had requested a recount under the Local Authorities Election Act. It started Monday at 9:30 a.m.

On Tuesday, Elections Calgary released updated numbers, which show that Farkas won the election with 91,112 votes to Sharp’s 90,496, a difference of 616 votes.

Before the recount, results showed that Farkas had picked up 91,071 votes compared to Sharp’s 90,490, meaning both picked up votes under the recount.

In explaining her desire for a recount, Sharp previously cited the “razor-thin” margin of victory in the election and the “challenging” conditions that faced election workers, including long lines, new procedures and hand-counting ballots, which lasted into the early hours of the morning.

“This request is by no means a criticism of their hard work. Instead, it suggests that mistakes can occur during stressful situations,” Sharp wrote at the time.

All votes cast for mayor across Calgary were recounted, the city said.

With the recount complete, Farkas is set to be sworn in as Calgary’s next mayor on Wednesday at 6 p.m., alongside members of the new council.

In a statement, Farkas thanked his campaign team, and expressed gratitude for Elections Calgary and the volunteer scrutineers “who facilitated and oversaw this important feature of our democratic process.”

“The past week has been filled with the work of building a strong city council team to get things done for Calgarians,” Farkas wrote.

He also said he reached out to Sharp with congratulations on a strong campaign.

“I expressed my hope that Calgarians will continue to benefit from her commitment to public service,” Farkas wrote.

CBC News has reached out to Sharp for comment.