Sonia Furstenau is the new leader of the BC Green party.

The MLA for Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island won a close leadership race against Cam Brewer and Kim Darwin. She got 2,428 votes on the second ballot to edge out Brewer who had 2,127 votes. On the first ballot Fustenau got 2,197 votes, Brewer got 1,916 votes and Kim Darwin was eliminated after getting 521 votes.

Furstenau will now replace former BC Green leader Andrew Weaver, who stepped down last January to sit as an Independent, with fellow MLA Adan Olsen serving as the interim party leader for the last eight months.

“I am so excited to lead the next generation of the B.C. Greens,” she said, in a statement. “Our caucus has shown that by following evidence and working collaboratively we can achieve tangible outcomes for B.C. communities, and we’re just getting started. I look forward to working with both our new and long-standing supporters to continue to grow our Party.”

There were 5,478 voters from across the province, according to the party, noting that voter turnout was 85 per cent.

The BC Greens won three seats in the 2017 elections and hold the balance of power in the Legislature.