Conservatives led Canadian popular vote

OTTAWA, Oct. 15 (UPI) -- Canada's newly re-elected Conservatives outpaced their nearest rivals by more than 11 percent in the popular vote but didn't achieve a majority government.

In Tuesday's federal election, the Conservatives logged 37.6 percent of the popular vote ahead of the Liberals with 26.2 percent, Elections Canada reported.

The socialist New Democratic Party logged 18.2 percent support and, although it only ran in Quebec, the separatist Bloc Quebecois garnered 10 percent of the vote. The Green Party attracted 6.8 percent of the popular vote but didn't manage to secure a seat in the 308-seat House.

Independents and others accounted for 1 percent of the vote, the figures show.

Voter turnout set an all-time national low at 59 percent, the Globe and Mail reported.

The Conservatives were returned to power with a minority government, with 27 new seats giving them a total of 143, 12 short of a majority. The Liberals won 76 seats, the Bloc Quebecois 50, the NDP 37 and two were won by independents.