The CBC is reporting that Doug Ford is the new leader of the Ontario PC party, but Christine Elliott has asked for a recount.The results were delayed almost three hours with a "computer glitch."
By 5:40 the Party still had not made an official announcement.
Four candidates — former Tory legislator Christine Elliott, former Toronto city councillor Doug Ford, Toronto lawyer and businesswoman Caroline Mulroney and parental rights advocate Tanya Granic Allen — were competing to lead the Progressive Conservatives.
Elliott had painted herself as the only one with the political experience to get the party election-ready in time, while Ford has said his business sense equips him to cut government waste.
Meanwhile, Mulroney — the only leadership hopeful already declared a candidate in a riding — presented herself as a fresh face, and Granic Allen has emphasized her ties to the party's grassroots.
While all four pledged to scrap a proposed carbon tax that formed a key pillar of the party's election platform introduced in November under former leader Patrick Brown, the race focused less on detailed policy promises and more on the party's culture.
The Tories were plunged into turmoil when Brown stepped down in late January amid allegations of sexual misconduct, which he has consistently denied.
Tensions grew when Brown, fresh off a campaign to clear his name, announced he would throw his hat in the ring in an attempt to reclaim his job.
Some of Brown's rivals initially denounced his candidacy, calling it a distraction, but then stepped back to focus on their own campaigns. Mulroney, however, called for him to back out of the race, which he eventually did, citing the strain on his friends and relatives.
All four candidates raised the alarm over possible membership fraud and delays in member registration. The party said it was aware of those concerns and twice pushed back the deadline for party members to register for the vote.
As of 8 a.m. Friday, 71,402 party members had been verified and the party confirmed that 64,053 members had voted when balloting closed at noon Friday.
With files from Paola Loriggio , The Canadian Press
