dataDp/1032.jpeg

Worldnews

Why Some Nigerians Are Leaving Christianity For African Spiritual Beliefs

Religious observers see a growing number of young people abandoning Christian churches in favour of Indigenous spirituality. Nsukka, Nigeria — Since early childhood, Chidi Nwaohia’s life has swung like a pendulum between two spiritual paths: Christianity and African traditional religion. His life was always marked by mystery, says the 59-year-old who was raised a devout nondenominational Christian in Amachi Nsulu, near Aba in southeast Nigeria. Before he had turned a year old, he strayed overnight and went missing. “I was found the next morning in the same trench they searched the previous day,” he said. Three days later, he had a sudden fit and fell gravely ill. His parents took him to a hospital, but when his condition did not improve, they approached a traditional healer for answers. The dibia (priest and medicine man) attributed his illness to the gods, saying it was a sign of Nwaohia’s inescapable destiny to lead his people in the ancient traditions of the Igbo people. “The dibia said I was the reincarnation of my grandfather,” Nwaohia said. “His return to the earth as a powerful traditional priest was foretold [before he died].” Such doctrine is not uncommon in cultures and spiritual practices across West Africa. But Nwaohia’s mother, due to her deep Christian faith, received the prophecy with doubt and kept it from her son. When Nwaohia turned 17 in 1983, he was baptised. But on the day of the baptism, he had an accident. “While riding my motorbike home with the man who baptised me, I suddenly veered into the bush and sustained fleshly injuries, but my co-rider was unscathed,” he said, later coming to the conclusion that it was a sign he was on the wrong path. But back then, Nwaohia was still ignorant of the prophecy, so at age 18, he became a Bible teacher at a church in his hometown. After another road accident – a car crash in 1987 – left him with a limp and leg injuries he said would not heal despite years of hospital care, he took a friend’s advice and went to a medicine man for help. The wounds, the dibia told him, were signs that Nwaohia’s calling to the priesthood in the African traditional faith was due. Nwaohia, then 23, told his mother what the dibia said. She finally revealed the prophecy she received about him many years ago. Although she was hesitant about it, he felt his path was now clearer, and gradually, he accepted his new spiritual role. “People who identify and follow their true path will thrive, while those who stray will face difficulties until they find their way back,” said Nwaohia, who claims his leg injury healed on its own after he embraced his calling. He was officially ordained a dibia in 1993, in an elaborate ceremony that included prayers, rituals of purification and vision, as well as frenzied dances, drumming and initiations. Other spiritualists offered Igbo prayers to Chukwu (the supreme being), Ndi Ichie (the ancestors), and the gods and spirits that control the physical and spiritual worlds, asking for acceptance, guidance, protection and blessings. Christianity is the number one religion in Nigeria, a country of more than 200 million people. But in the years since Nwaohia changed his spiritual path, a growing number of young people have been moving away from monotheistic faiths towards Indigenous African beliefs, according to religious leaders and observers Al Jazeera spoke to. There is a dearth of data and research on the issue, observers said, but they started noticing the trend in the early 2000s. Many attribute it to growing apathy towards Christianity, but some say pastors focusing on material wealth over spiritual wellbeing – something contrary to the Bible’s teachings – leads people to consider alternative religious options. Christianity was first brought to Nigeria by Portuguese traders and slavers in the 15th century. However, the faith was restricted to the coastal areas of the country where they were based. It remained so until the arrival of British colonialists in the 19th century. The Christian faith then spread to various parts of Nigeria through the efforts of missionaries and some emancipated slaves. But before the introduction of Christianity and other monotheistic faiths like Islam, Nigerians had a religious belief system focused on deep connections with the ancestors, the physical and spiritual worlds, and community-specific deities. Today, many converts leaving Christianity face opposition at home. Nwaohia’s mother, for one, was initially unhappy about his decision to become a dibia, seeing his conversion as an affront to her beliefs. Families of converts also fear the social stigma associated with traditional beliefs. Many communities view ancestors, divination and other spiritual rites with mistrust. Worshippers can face severe discrimination, with beliefs branded “pagan”, “demonic” or “witchcraft”. This reflects colonial missionaries’ influence, which portrayed Indigenous faith as archaic and spiritually perilous, observers say. However, for adherents of African traditional religion, both beliefs often coexist. Some people attend church on Sundays while seeking advice from a dibia at other times, all the while participating in both Christian and traditional rituals like naming ceremonies or funerals. The adherents of traditional faith interviewed by Al Jazeera say all religious divinity is captured in their pantheon, including the Christian God. As a result, many blend Christian and Indigenous practices. This approach to religion has become attractive in a society where religious zealotry has caused division and violence, including conflict between Christians and Muslims. Echezona Obiagbaosogu, 49, a former Catholic priest who now practises both Christian and traditional faiths, recounted the story of a man who remained both a devoted Christian and a rainmaker, even serving on the parish council until his death. However, despite such examples of harmonious coexistence, he noted that some zealous preachers say the faiths are incompatible. The search for personal conviction is inspiring a return to the kind of faith many Africans link to their roots. Obiagbaosogu, at one point in his journey as a priest, found himself questioning whether his spiritual path was truly in sync with his inner convictions. “I felt that maybe my personal relationship with God needed something more from me,” he said, without elaborating on what he felt was missing. After seven years of internal struggle and finding no relief in Christianity, he embraced traditional religion in 2022, his 16th year as a priest. He had also faced similar challenges in the seminary where he studied, leading him to start a society for African culture with his colleagues to explore African religious concepts or practices and their place in Christianity. Obiagbaosogu believes both traditional and Christian religious practices offer different perspectives on understanding the supernatural. “Humans crown realities and create concepts, and we become slaves to the concepts we create. Nothing happens when you decide to recuse yourself from the concepts,” he said. Beyond the spiritual aspects, some say flawed perceptions and the search for easy wealth have also contributed to the growing trend of young people moving from Christianity to African traditional religion. Many young people embrace traditional beliefs thinking it will lead to wealth, some clergy say, due to the belief that alignment with the deities and spirits can grant blessings, financial breakthroughs or supernatural aid in personal and economic endeavours. “They are very interested in money, and the African traditional religion offers them an easy way to make some,” said Anthony Oluba, a Catholic priest. But some argue that it is in fact Christian churches’ emphasis on material wealth that has caused them to want to leave the religion. Kingsley Akunwafor, 31, a tailor and former Catholic, said the commercialisation of some Christian churches and their preference for wealthy individuals undermines religious credibility and has led to growing apathy towards Christianity. Clerics demand offerings for miracles and blessings, distracting the Christian church from core responsibilities, including the spiritual welfare of members, said Akunwafor, who requested a pseudonym as he now practises traditional beliefs in secret. Some clergy are also accused of wanting to make money off the church for personal gain. Joel Ugwoke, an Anglican priest, told Al Jazeera he knows a businessman who lost confidence in the institution after he sold a Pentecostal pastor a power generator for the church. The pastor asked the businessman to inflate the price on invoices to the church so that he could pocket the difference without arousing suspicion. Chinedu Oshaba, 37, another former Catholic, embraced traditional faith more than a decade ago after witnessing the Church prioritising money over empathy. A devoted member was denied a church burial because of unpaid levies. With no one to settle her debt, another church of a different denomination eventually conducted her funeral. “They stripped her of her membership, throwing away all her years of dedication,” Oshaba said. Many orthodox churches collect monthly or annual levies from members, including to feed priests and bishops, maintain church buildings, and help bury members. However, in Indigenous faith, burial rites are granted to all members regardless of financial status. Oshaba sees this as an advantage over Christian churches, where the bereaved are charged for funeral services, including fees for officiating clerics and church facilities. Some Christian clerics have observed the trend of more people seemingly moving towards African spirituality. There are ongoing reforms and conversations across diverse denominations on how to appeal to worshippers, religious leaders said. Oluba’s Catholic congregation, for instance, appeals to people by providing support with agriculture, through training opportunities and grants, while Anglican priest Ugwoke says he is careful about his approach to church doctrine and how he teaches it. “I practise what I preach because they [the congregation] focus more on me than what I preach,” Ugwoke told Al Jazeera. Christianity through colonialism became prominent in Nigeria in the 20th century, quickly being introduced in schools in the southern part of the country. The spread was sometimes marked by violence, which killed people and displaced the Indigenous peoples who survived. “When you deceive or conquer one, two, or three generations of a people, there’ll always be the descendant generations that will defy you, having known the truth by themselves and for themselves,” said Chijioke Ngobili, a historian. Now, as social media empowers free speech, more young people are speaking up about the colonial atrocities in Nigeria. This, some observers say, is creating a threat to the dominance of Christianity. “With young adherents of Indigenous spirituality potentially becoming future intellectuals, politicians, capitalists and policymakers, Christianity may be dislodged,” said Ngobili, who is also an adherent of traditional faith. Some churches have reported a scarcity of young members, who are often the ones to lead music and singing during church sessions. “One church even stopped using musical instruments because its young male members left for Indigenous faith,” said Oluba, the Catholic priest. With more young people leaving, Oluba worries about the church losing its role as a beacon of morality and conscience in society. Meanwhile, other clerics worry about the young people embracing traditional faith to use it to gain wealth and power through black magic. However, historian Ngobili argues that dark forces are not inherent to traditional faith, but rather brought in by those with negative intentions. “The bad ones take their vices – such as greed, desire for wealth without work, instant gratification, violence, among others – into the practice of Indigenous faiths,” he said. The misuse of certain powerful practices and processes is what tarnishes the image of traditional faith, he said, leading to societal mistrust and reinforcing negative stereotypes. At sunset on a day in January, in his hometown of Amachi Nsulu, Nwaohia gathered outdoors on the grounds of his shrine, preparing to invoke the gods. With his index finger, he marked the outer sides of his eyes with a white kaolin before gulping a mouthful of gin from a bottle. Then, with a pinch of kola nut between his fingers, he moved slowly between the various figurines of his oracles, decorated in animal blood. “Our ancestors eat kola. Spirits drink,” he said, sprinkling pieces of kola nut and droplets of gin. Since converting, Nwaohia has been absorbed deeply in what he believes is the true faith that draws him closer to the spirits of his ancestry, and the goodwill of his forefathers, diligently following the rules of rituals he has learned. The African way of worship sees prayers take place in the morning and at sunset, often accompanied by libations, with hot drinks, kola nut and kaolin. Stones, carved images and trees are considered homes for the gods, and are often used as the representation of their presence. Then there are annual and seasonal festivals to mark the harvest seasons, as well as masquerade ceremonies. Offerings, including kola nut, yams, other food or sacrificial animals, are made at shrines to seek blessings, protection or guidance. Blood sacrifices of fowls or goats are performed to appease spirits or mark events. But there is no written law to guide adherents into specific acts. Worshippers believe that there is a connection between humans and natural elements like the earth, water, plants and animals, and that certain wrongdoings – including murder, adultery and injustice – are not just an offence against humans but the entirety of nature. Instead of gathering in a common assembly, like churches, members largely spend quiet times in reflection and seeking truth and fairness in their own actions. But for converts, this can present a challenge: a lack of mentors. For a faith based on personal meditation, without leaders who guide and give sermons in churches, new worshippers can wallow in confusion. This, when added to the shrouded nature of certain ritualistic practices in the faith, provides a less organised structure for learning and understanding key doctrines. Young adherents from Christian homes often bear the brunt, as there is no generational transfer of knowledge. “When I left the church, my father set up my shrine for me and taught me everything,” said Oshaba, whose father had converted to African traditional religion before he was born. But most others do not have a guide. In extreme cases, stigma causes family and friends to ostracise new converts. For this reason, Akunwafor says he is forced to occasionally attend the Catholic Church to avoid being sidelined by his friends and relatives. The tailor has practised his traditional faith secretly since he converted about five years ago. “I am very bothered by my inability to practise my faith openly because of wrong perceptions about it, but I’m hopeful that my God will give me confidence eventually,” he said. Similarly, Obiagbaosogu did not have an easy transition. “I lost friends,” he told Al Jazeera. “My relationship with others may not have been smooth, but we are moving forward and I’m building new connections.” However, on rare occasions, loved ones do come around. In Nwaohia’s case, although his mother was initially displeased, eventually the whole family welcomed his new life as a traditional priest. “My God has prospered me,” Nwaohia said. “I’ve not had any reason to cry since I became a dibia.” Follow Al Jazeera English:...

dataDp/3575.jpeg

Futbol

Ange Postecoglou said the "football gods" have deserted his Tottenham side after they were foiled by a goalkeeping masterclass from Eintracht Frankfurt's Kaua Santos. The Brazilian produced a string of inspired saves in the first leg of the Europa League quarter-final at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, to the frustration of Postecoglou and his players. Frankfurt's Hugo Ekitike showed why he has caught the attention of several Premier League clubs when he put the visitors ahead inside six minutes with a superb low strike. However, Spurs responded well and took control before Pedro Porro equalised with a bold backheel flick. Tottenham poured forward with intensity after the interval and would have scored had it not been for the woodwork and three big saves from Santos. In a frantic few minutes, Lucas Bergvall and Rodrigo Bentancur both rattled the crossbar, while Son Heung-min and James Maddison each had a curling effort stopped by the goalkeeper. Deep into stoppage time, Santos was the hero for Frankfurt again with a fine fingertip save from Micky van de Ven's bouncing header. "I'm resigned to the fact that the football gods have got their eyes elsewhere this year," Postecoglou said afterwards. "They're obviously busy with other clubs and other managers, so whatever we get we're going to have to do it without them this year." Sitting 14th in the Premier League and out of both domestic cups, the Europa League is Tottenham's only remaining chance of silverware success this season. It also offers the trophy winners a route into the 2025-26 Champions League. Head coach Postecoglou, who is looking to maintain his record of "always winning" trophies in his second season, will need a strong showing from his side when they travel to face Frankfurt in the second leg on 17 April. This has been a disappointing season for Spurs and Postecoglou's future at the club may hinge on this competition, if his fate has not already been decided. In his pre-match news conference, the under-pressure Australian boss said he was aware that even ending this term with a European triumph may not be enough to convince some fans that he is the right person for the job. With Frankfurt's spirited home support and a 58,000-capacity Waldstadion awaiting in the reverse fixture, a positive first-leg performance was a must for Spurs. And, to an extent, they delivered. It was an entertaining showing from Postecoglou's players, who did everything well after half-time apart from finding the back of the Frankfurt net. The visitors' opener arrived when Maddison lost possession in Eintracht's half and, with Spurs' defence out of position, Ellyes Skhiri threaded a brilliant ball to Ekitike. Porro failed to close down the 22-year-old Frenchman, who cut in from the left and darted towards the edge of the box before firing low past Guglielmo Vicario into the far corner. Maddison and Porro soon redeemed themselves at the other end, linking up for the equaliser as Maddison clipped the ball back for Porro, who guided it in with a wonderful flick of his heel. Tottenham continued to rack up the chances after half-time, but they were unable to beat the crossbar or Santos, who has been filling in for Frankfurt's injured first-choice goalkeeper Kevin Trapp for the past month. "It's going to be that sort of the season - nothing is going to come to us easy," Postecoglou said. "We're going to have to go there and fight now to get what I felt we deserved tonight, and that's what we'll try and do."

dataDp/1032.jpeg

Worldnews

Pakistan Minister Warns Of Possible Indian Military Strike In 24-36 Hours

Islamabad says will ‘decisively respond’ to any military action as tensions with New Delhi soar after Kashmir attack. Pakistan’s minister for information and broadcasting says Islamabad has “credible intelligence” that India intends to launch a military strike within the next 24 to 36 hours, as tensions between the two countries escalate following a deadly attack in Indian-administered Kashmir. In a social media post early on Wednesday, Attaullah Tarar accused India of using last week’s attack in Pahalgam, which killed 26 tourists, “as a false pretext” to potentially strike Pakistan. The minister did not provide any concrete information to back up his claim, and the Indian government did not immediately comment publicly on the allegations. “Any act of aggression will be met with a decisive response. India will be fully responsible for any serious consequences in the region,” Tarar said in the post on X. Pakistani Minister of Defence Khawaja Muhammad Asif also told the Reuters news agency on Monday that a military incursion by India was “imminent”. Islamabad is on high alert but will only use its nuclear weapons if “there is a direct threat to our existence”, Asif said. India’s Ministry of External Affairs did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Reuters news agency on the latest remarks from Tarar. Tensions between the two countries have been rising after India said there were Pakistani elements linked to the attack on April 22 in the mountain resort of Pahalgam. It was the deadliest attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir in more than two decades, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has promised to pursue the attackers. A statement issued in the name of The Resistance Front (TRF), which is believed to be an offshoot of the Pakistani-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, claimed responsibility for the attack. But Islamabad has denied any role in what happened and called for a neutral investigation. After the attack, the neighbours unleashed a raft of diplomatic measures against each other, including visa revocations and the closure of Pakistani airspace to Indian airlines. India also suspended its participation in the Indus Waters Treaty, which regulates water-sharing from the Indus River and its tributaries between the two countries. The move spurred protests in Pakistan, and the Pakistani government has said it is preparing legal action over New Delhi’s decision. Fire also has been exchanged along the Line of Control (LoC), the 740km (460-mile) de-facto border separating Indian- and Pakistani-controlled areas of Kashmir, prompting international calls to de-escalate tensions. On Tuesday, the United States urged the two countries to work towards a “responsible solution”. “We are reaching out to both parties, and telling … them to not escalate the situation,” a Department of State spokesperson told reporters, quoting a statement by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The spokesperson added that Rubio would speak to the foreign ministers of India and Pakistan on Tuesday or Wednesday and encouraged other foreign ministers to do the same. The United Nations also said Secretary-General Antonio Guterres spoke with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Indian Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and “underscored the need to avoid a confrontation that could result in tragic consequences”. Follow Al Jazeera English:...

dataDp/1032.jpeg

Worldnews

Canada Election Results: Who Are The Key Winners And Losers?

Carney is set to form government and cabinet as his Liberal Party wins elections defined by threats from US President Trump. Canada’s governing Liberal Party led by Prime Minister Mark Carney has won the national elections for a fourth term in a remarkable comeback prompted in part by unprecedented attacks by United States President Donald Trump. The Liberals beat Pierre Poilievre’s main opposition Conservative Party on Monday after millions of people voted in snap elections dominated by the big question: Which candidate can better handle Trump, who has slapped tariffs and threatened to annex Canada? Here is a closer look at the results of Canada’s federal elections and what comes next. Soon after 22:00 EDT on Tuesday (02:00 GMT on Wednesday), national broadcaster CBC projected that the Liberal Party was headed to win an adequate number of seats in the House of Commons to form a government. Voting was held for the 343-member House of Commons – the lower house of parliament. A party has to win 172 seats (also called federal ridings) to form a government. It is too soon to say whether the Liberals will cross the majority mark. These are the seat projections for the main parties in Canada, according to CBC: In the 2025 election, the number of seats went up to 343, from 338. Trump’s threats of tariffs and annexation were a key issue in this election, experts said. Arguing that Canada had not done its part in preventing irregular migration and drug trafficking to the US, Trump imposed a 25 percent tariff on products from Canada and a 10 percent tariff on Canadian energy. The US president also threatened to annex Canada. “I think Canada would be much better off being a 51st state,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News in February. “The most important factor in Canadian politics right now doesn’t live in Canada – it’s Donald Trump,” Daniel Beland, a professor at McGill University in Montreal and director of the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada, told Al Jazeera in February. Other issues included the affordability of groceries and housing. The Canadian cost of living crisis intensified over former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s tenure due to inflation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Trudeau was prime minister since 2015 and stepped down on March 9 this year after facing mounting pressure for months to resign. In June 2022, the inflation rate was 8.1 percent more than the previous year, the largest yearly change since 1983, according to Statistics Canada. Some Canadians blamed Trudeau for a spike in housing prices due to his pro-immigration agenda. Last year, Poilievre made comments attacking the “massive uncontrolled population growth that put strain on our housing market, our healthcare and our job market” under Trudeau. Inflation has since gone down and is currently at 2.3 percent. However, prices remain much higher than they were in 2020. While Poilievre’s Conservatives enjoyed had a lead throughout 2024, the Liberals made an unexpected jump in the opinion polls starting February this year, thanks to Trump’s diatribe against Canada. “In Canadian polling history, at least in this century, it is the first time I’ve ever seen this. To come back from a 25-point deficit is very unheard of, especially for a government that’s been in power for almost a decade,” Philippe J Fournier, analyst and creator of electoral projection model and website 338Canada, told Al Jazeera in March. At the time, Fournier said the growing popularity of the Liberals could be explained by Trudeau’s decision to step down, Trump’s threats and Canadians’ “discomfort” with Poilievre. “Poilievre is using the same style and the same language and the same tactics as Trump,” Fournier said, explaining that Trump’s threats to Canada swayed swing voters away from the Conservative leader. Carney promised to scrap some of Trudeau’s unpopular policies, including a carbon pricing programme, as Canadians faced a cost-of-living crisis. On the campaign trail, Carney promised to handle the crisis, counter the tariffs, protect workers and take on Trump head-on. “I am ready and I have managed crises over the years … We will fight back with counter-tariffs and we will protect our workers,” he said during the English language debate on April 18. “We can give ourselves far more than Donald Trump can ever take away.” Trump was the “elephant in the room” and Canadians needed a new candidate to deal with the US president, Bob Richardson, a Canadian public affairs analyst at Hammersmith Consulting, told Al Jazeera. “We need an adult in the room. We need somebody with experience. We need somebody with economic experience, which [Carney] has a tonne of, having been governor of the Bank of Canada and the governor of the Bank of England… He’s more of somebody who can deal with the situation that Canada has to face over the next two or three years,” Richardson said. Tari Ajadi, an assistant professor at the department of political science, McGill University, told Al Jazeera that Carney “came across as competent and qualified enough to lead Canada in this uncertain time. Despite being a rookie politician, he was able to run a well-managed campaign.” He explained that another chief factor in the Liberal win was the collapse of the NDP. “A significant number of those votes went to the Liberal Party, ultimately powering them to a win.” The Conservative leader has been projected to lose his seat in Carleton, Ontario, to Liberal candidate Bruce Fanjoy. Poilievre was first elected there in 2004. The NDP is so far projected to win 7 seats, giving it 6.3 percent of the vote share. This means it falls short of the 12 seats that a party needs to maintain official party status, which is needed for parliamentary privileges such as research funding. Jagmeet Singh, 46, announced he is stepping down as the leader of the NDP on Monday. He acknowledged that his party did not perform as well as he expected it to. Singh also did not win his riding. He conceded defeat in his constituency of Burnaby Central in British Columbia. “We’re only defeated when we believe those that tell us that we can never dream of a better Canada, a fairer Canada, a more compassionate Canada,” said Singh. “These results were quite surprising and point to the competing priorities of Canadians this election: A significant faction of Canadians wanted change, but also were terrified of the threats coming from the United States,” Ajadi from McGill University said. “This led to a coalescing of votes on the centre and on the left at the expense of the NDP and Greens,” he added. The election, Ajadi said, saw the strengthening of the Conservative Party on the right, with the party vote share being the highest it has been since 1998. He said these outcomes imply a “shy Conservative” vote that empowered the Conservatives to a significant seat count, but did not get them enough seats to win the parliamentary minority. Carney declared victory in a speech during a rally in Ottawa, the capital of Canada. He pledged to put up a strong front in the face of Trump’s threats. “We have built one nation in harsh conditions despite a sometimes-hostile neighbour. Yes, they have form on this, the Americans,” he said. His speech also mentioned improving housing and energy. “We are masters in our own home. We will build millions of housing units. We will become an energy superpower. We will provide good careers in skilled trades and one economy,” the Canadian leader said, adding “this is Canada, and we decide what happens here.” Conceding defeat, Poilievre said: “I would like to congratulate Prime Minister Carney on leading this minority government. “My fellow Conservatives, we have much to celebrate tonight. We’ve gained well over 20 seats. We got the highest share of vote our party has received since 1988,” he said at his election night headquarters in Ottawa. Poilievre pledged to work with Liberals in countering Trump’s tariff and annexation threats. “Conservatives will work with the prime minister and all parties with the common goal of defending Canada’s interests and getting a new trade deal that puts these tariffs behind us while protecting our sovereignty,” he said. After leading the Liberals to victory, Carney will remain in the job as prime minister and form a new government and cabinet. He was sworn in as prime minister after Trudeau stepped down from his position on March 9. If the Liberals win a majority, Carney would assemble a cabinet and work on a budget plan before the House reconvenes on May 26. If the Liberals fall short of the majority, they would have to work with another party or more to pass legislation in parliament and survive no-confidence votes. In the past, the NDP emerged as the Liberals’ natural partner. The Conservatives are set to form the official opposition in parliament. Ajadi from McGill University said Carney would need to reach out to other party leaders to strike some kind of deal, since the next government would likely be a minority one. “A loss of confidence vote in the House of Commons would prompt another election,” Ajadi said. “He can govern without a partner, but it means that the government is always at risk of losing the confidence of the House, which would not be sustainable given the broader geopolitical climate we are in.” Follow Al Jazeera English:...