Canadians gave Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party a victory in Monday’s parliamentary elections, but his gamble to win a majority of seats failed.

The Liberals were on track to win the most seats of any party. The 49-year-old Trudeau channeled the star power of his father, the Liberal icon and late Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, when he canada-election-n447526" target="_blank" rel="noopener">first won election in 2015 and now appeared to have led his party to the top finish in two elections since.

The Liberals were leading in 156 ridings, the Conservatives in 123, the Quebec-based Bloc Québécois in 29, the leftist New Democratic Party in 28 and the Greens in two.

Trudeau didn’t win enough seats to avoid having to rely on help from other parties to pass legislation. Trudeau entered the election leading a stable minority government that wasn’t under threat of being toppled.

The opposition was relentless in accusing Trudeau of calling an unnecessary early vote — two years before the deadline — for his own personal ambition.

Trudeau bet Canadians didn’t want a Conservative government during a pandemic.