---
title: "Elenore Sturko steps down as CentreBC leader and leaves partisan politics"
description: "Sturko, who lost her Surrey South seat in the October 24 election, announced her resignation from CentreBC and her departure from partisan politics on November 13, 2026."
canonical_url: "https://voche.me/bc/provincial-2026/news/elenore-sturko-steps-down-centrebc-november-2026"
last_updated: "2026-11-14T15:58:26.184Z"
---

Elenore Sturko announced on November 13 that she is stepping down as leader of CentreBC and leaving partisan politics, days after the party received 28,482 votes in the October 24 provincial election.

Sturko lost her Surrey South seat to Conservative candidate Megan Knight, a former White Rock mayor, who received 13,479 votes. The BC NDP candidate Parik Tahlan received 4,901 votes. Sturko received 2,178 votes, the Nanaimo News Bulletin reported.

## What Sturko said

Sturko told the Nanaimo News Bulletin: "I'm leaving partisan politics. I've decided to leave partisan politics behind and concentrate on the new chapter." She said she wants to spend more time with her family and explore opportunities in communications or policy work outside elected politics.

She described the decision as personal. "Being able to help out more at home and to be more involved every day with my kids is important to me," she said. She did not rule out a future return, telling the outlet: "You should never say never, never say always."

## The election result for CentreBC

CentreBC received 28,482 votes province-wide, which was 1.63 percent of all votes cast on October 24, 2026. The party finished fourth, behind the BC Green Party. No CentreBC candidate was elected. The Conservatives won 64 seats and formed a majority government. The NDP won 27 seats.

Sturko was the only CentreBC member who had held a seat in the legislature before the election. She entered the legislature in a 2022 by-election as a BC Liberal, was elected as a Conservative in Surrey-Cloverdale in October 2024, was expelled from that party in September 2025, and joined CentreBC as its leader. Daily Hive reported she had been the only member to remain with the party leading into the October 2026 vote.

## What comes next for CentreBC

Sturko said she hopes the party will continue as a centrist option. The party has had four leaders in rapid succession. No announcement about a successor has been made.

CentreBC holds no seats in the legislature. Under BC election law, a registered party that does not meet the threshold to keep its registration must collect new support signatures. The party's registered status and next steps have not been announced publicly.

Sturko's page on this site, at [/bc/provincial-2026/candidates/elenore-sturko](/bc/provincial-2026/candidates/elenore-sturko), and CentreBC's party page at [/bc/provincial-2026/parties/centre-bc](/bc/provincial-2026/parties/centre-bc), show her record and what the party stood for in the election.

## Sitemap

See the full [sitemap](/bc/provincial-2026/sitemap.md) for all pages.