The 1986 Alberta general election was held on May 8, 1986, to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. Peter Lougheed, who had created the modern Alberta Progressive Conservatives, led it to power in 1971, and served as premier of Alberta for fourteen years, retired from politics in 1985. The PC Party elected Don Getty as its new leader. Getty was not able to gain the confidence of Albertans as Lougheed had, and the party's popular vote fell by ten percentage points. The PCs were still, however, able to win a fifth term in government, with over half the votes in the province, and 61 of the 83 seats in the legislature. While the PC's continued to dominate in Calgary and rural Alberta, unlike previous PC victories the party was badly routed in the provincial capital Edmonton where it won only four seats. The New Democratic Party, now led by Ray Martin, was able to make itself the focus of opposition to the PC government, winning almost 30% of the vote, and sixteen seats in the legislature (up from two in the 1982 election), mostly in Edmonton where they became the dominant political party. This was a salutary result after the tragic death of its leader, Grant Notley, in 1984. It would again take 16 seats in the next election. These two elections were the NDP's best result in any election until it won government in the 2015 election. The Liberal Party of Nicholas Taylor returned to the legislature for the first time since 1969 with four seats. Two seats were won by former Social Credit members who had formed the Representative Party of Alberta after winning re-election in 1982 as independents. Western Canada Concept, a western separatist party that had won almost 12% of the vote in 1982, collapsed under the leadership of Jack Ramsay, who later served as a Reform Party of Canada Member of Parliament. The Social Credit Party of Alberta nominated no candidates. The party had governed Alberta for 36 years before getting bounced out of power by the Tories in 1971. The 22-member opposition in the Alberta Legislature was the largest since 1971. Although the opposition MLAs were still outnumbered three to one by Conservative MLAs, they presented a significant competitive voice to the dominant Conservative Party. The NDP, long the most able, visible and popular opposition group in the Legislature now were granted status of Official Opposition. The existence of the moderately large opposition is counter to the pattern of Alberta both before and after of having minuscule opposition in the Legislature, one party dominance for a long period followed by landslide in favour of a new party. Thus the 1986 Legislature was part of a break, short lived as it happened, in the usual pattern of Alberta politics that some describe as ideologically conservative, anachronistic, odd and unpredictable. It was thought by some that Alberta politics was beginning to resemble that of Canada's other provinces. UofA prof Allan Tupper said the rise of a new, competent opposition was a healthy development in Alberta's politics and would likely contribute positively to Alberta's economic and social well-being. However, in 1993, the NDP caucus was obliterated, and the Liberal became the Official Opposition. And Conservatives received 61 percent of the seats (although with only 45 percent of the votes) and thus still held overwhelming dominance in the Legislature, with a three to two ratio of seats over the opposition.

Results

Overall voter turnout was 47.25%. Note:

• Party did not nominate candidates in the previous election.

Results by riding

3,098 35.97%||| 3,372 39.15% 1,942 22.55% 184 2.14%||| 4,536 65.83% 1,452 21.07% 436 6.33% 444 6.44%||| 5,092 57.74% 2,303 26.11% 637 7.22% 235 2.66% 539 6.11%||| 3,630 65.24% 1,663 29.89% 256 4.60%||| 3,395 57.82% 205 3.49% 1,046 17.81% 1,220 20.78% 5,392 55.84% 3,336 34.54% 611 6.33% 269 2.80% 3,437 34.54% 1,089 10.94%||| 5,242 52.68% 153 1.54% 5,483 59.52% 1,654 17.95% 1,842 20.00% 219 2.38%||| 5,781 66.90% 1,740 20.14% 1,102 12.75% 4,515 65.16% 1,119 16.15% 1,268 18.30% 7,852 69.41% 1,882 16.64% 1,553 13.73% 6,111 55.29% 2,572 23.27% 1,741 15.75% 623 5.64% 2,410 34.55%||| 2,492 35.73% 1,111 15.93% 237 3.40% 271 3.90% Gerald K. Lee (Ind.) 224 3.22% Independent Dorothy Bohdan (Ind.) 109 1.57% Independent Jim Othen (Ind.) 67 0.96% Bruce Potter (Comm.) 28 0.40% 5,718 60.18% 1,337 14.07% 2,033 21.40% 384 4.04%||| 5,418 62.99% 2,435 28.31% 730 8.49% 4,823 55.01% 2,610 29.77% 1,307 14.91% 3,204 47.92% 2,512 37.57% 588 8.79% 148 2.21% 209 3.13%||| 4,395 59.63% 2,035 27.61% 710 9.63% 218 2.96% 5,267 43.39%||| 5,524 45.51% 1,139 9.38% 172 1.42%||| 5,545 54.26% 2,940 28.77% 1,189 11.64% 511 5.00% 7,775 62.40% 3,376 27.09% 1,284 10.30% 6,694 61.38% 1,166 10.69% 2,727 25.01% 295 2.71% 6,846 64.33% 2,354 22.12% 1,390 13.06% 5,312 54.91% 2,269 23.45% 758 7.84% 697 7.20% 634 6.55%||| 2,679 60.08% 389 8.72% 1,376 30.86%||| 3,796 79.35% 959 20.05% 2,811 27.71% 2,085 20.55% 444 4.38%||| 4,795 47.26% 2,482 52.40% 558 11.78% 1,682 35.51% 5,330 61.00% 2,275 26.04% 594 6.80% 301 3.44% 219 2.51%||| 4,906 60.97% 1,154 14.34% 1,729 21.49% 244 3.03%||| 4,146 51.05% 3,944 48.56% 4,140 41.17%||| 4,234 42.10% 1,117 11.11% 416 4.14% 140 1.39%||| 3,160 30.19%||| 4,491 42.91% 2,486 23.75% 198 1.89% 67 0.64% David Wallis (Comm.) 39 0.37% 3,917 34.30%||| 6,699 58.66% 784 6.87% 2,910 28.82%||| 5,114 50.65% 1,925 19.07% 111 1.10% Martin Robbert (Comm.) 26 0.26% 3,816 40.21%||| 3,976 41.89% 1,384 14.58% 182 1.92% Leonard Stahl (Ind.) 103 1.09%||| 3,720 35.26%||| 5,371 50.91% 1,191 11.29% 147 1.39% 99 0.94%||| 5,193 52.33% 2,918 29.40% 1,352 13.62% 312 3.14% 133 1.34%||| 4,150 28.24% 4,142 28.18%||| 6,378 43.40% 3,507 42.37%||| 4,159 50.25% 417 5.04% 83 1.00% 51 0.62% Cec Garfin (Her.) 30 0.36% 4,357 40.01% 4,286 39.36% 1,947 17.88% 157 1.44% 122 1.12%||| 3,491 38.15%||| 4,669 51.02% 896 9.79% 78 0.85% 4,222 36.55% 2,315 20.04%||| 4,913 42.54% 176 1.52% 90 0.78%||| 4,004 41.87%||| 4,103 42.90% 861 9.00% 445 4.65% 132 1.38% 1,942 25.56%||| 5,272 69.38% 359 4.72% 5,612 44.43% 5,310 42.04% 1,100 8.71% 593 4.69% 4,467 37.47%||| 6,443 54.04% 788 6.61% 102 0.86% 72 0.60% Robin Boodle (Comm.) 26 0.22% 7,436 57.58% 3,875 30.01% 1,135 8.79% 366 2.83% 92 0.71%||| 4,152 48.49% 3,391 39.61% 1,010 11.80% 6,239 61.43% 3,095 30.47% 557 5.48% 240 2.36%||| 5,336 66.32% 1,054 13.10% 811 10.08% 4,309 65.83% 1,033 15.78% 411 6.28% 472 7.21% Jack Lynass (C.O.R.) 303 4.64% 4,079 77.71% 1,151 21.93% 2,529 56.90% 1,892 42.56% 4,567 51.98% 2,188 24.90% 2,009 22.87% 3,999 48.50% 2,006 24.33% 1,579 19.15% 532 6.45% 106 1.29% 1,805 30.25% 137 2.30% 158 2.65% Ben Loman 65 1.09% 3,791 63.54% 3,580 69.23% 1,567 30.30% 4,054 65.93% 759 12.34% 1,303 21.19% 7,717 65.72% 1,373 11.69% 2,624 22.35% 5,204 66.36% 823 10.49% 1,785 22.85% 3,775 59.81% 2,057 32.59% 291 4.61% 174 2.76%||| 3,134 51.35% 2,948 48.30% 3,601 61.94% 1,138 19.57% 349 6.00% 701 12.06%||| 2,808 41.48% 1,279 18.89% 2,372 35.04% 153 2.26% 146 2.16%||| 4,023 56.09% 1,667 23.24% 1,455 20.29% 3,539 46.55% 2,761 36.31% 309 4.06% 981 12.90% 3,844 53.19% 1,266 17.52% 622 8.61% 1,042 14.42% 436 6.05% 6,377 56.41% 3,183 28.16% 1,541 13.63% 196 1.73% 4,793 64.68% 1,546 20.86% 272 3.67% 773 10.43% 4,580 40.70%||| 4,700 41.77% 745 6.62% 1,215 10.80% 3,018 47.82% 1,429 22.64% 463 7.34% 1,380 21.87% 3,938 57.68% 1,058 15.50% 1,508 22.09% 308 4.51%||| 4,535 43.58% 3,046 29.27% 1,285 12.35% 1,343 12.90% 186 1.79%||| 4,483 66.75% 756 11.26% 1,442 21.47% 5,924 83.20% 1,169 16.42% 3,328 38.82%||| 3,903 45.53% 174 2.03% 1,150 13.42% 4,228 71.36% 1,671 28.20% 4,244 68.44% 1,106 17.84% 365 5.89% 475 7.66%||| 3,207 44.73% 3,005 41.92% 749 10.45% 187 2.61%||| 4,049 34.84% 1,996 17.17%||| 4,523 38.91% 911 7.84% 78 0.67% Laurent St. Denis (Comm.) 29 0.25% Stan Pearson (Her.) 25 0.22% 5,823 55.57% 3,061 29.21% 740 7.06% 488 4.66% 208 1.99% John Tolsma (Ind.) 130 1.24%||| 4,038 54.07% 1,349 18.06% 459 6.15% 1,611 21.57%