Historically, Albertans have elected governments with large
majorities and kept them in power for a long time. This
political tradition began during the first provincial election
in 1905. Alberta's first premier, Alexander C. Rutherford and
his Liberals took 22 of 25 seats. In 1979, the Progressive
Conservatives won 74 out of 79 seats. After the 2012 provincial
election, the Progressive Conservatives held 61 out of 87 seats.
The Liberal party formed the first government in Alberta from
1905-1921. The United Farmers of Alberta party overcame the
Liberals in 1921 and stayed in power until 1935. The Social
Credit Party formed the next provincial government for 35 years
from 1935-1971. The Progressive Conservative party has been in
government from 1971 to present. How is government formed? The
province is divided into 87 constituencies, or ridings. Each
riding has a number of candidates from different parties. The
candidate in each riding that wins the highest number of votes
in an election becomes the Member of