Two days after Vancouverites went to the polls, former Non-Partisan Association (NPA) mayoral candidate Ken Sim has conceded the election.

In a statement, he congratulated Kennedy Stewart, who was elected mayor of Vancouver in the early hours of Sunday morning.

"I would like to congratulate Kennedy Stewart on becoming Vancouver's next mayor. Kennedy and his supporters fought a spirited campaign," the statement read in part.

It took until the final votes from all 133 polling places were counted before Stewart could be safely declared the winner, with 49,812 votes to Sim's 48,828. Independent Shauna Sylvester wasn't far behind at 35,537.

In the statement,  Sim apologized for the delay in recognizing Stewart's win.

"Given the close nature of the result, we believed that we owed it to our supporters and the city to ensure we had the correct result. This was not done to take away from Kennedy Stewart or his team's accomplishment in any way," said the statement.
 
"I wish Kennedy Stewart and everyone on Council, Park Board, and School Board only the best over the next four years. I will always be there for you if I can help you in any way."

Stewart will lead a mixed council, with no one party holding a clear majority of votes. Five NPA councillors, three Greens and one person each from COPE and OneCity were voted in Saturday night. 

The last time Vancouver had an independent mayor was from 1980 to 1986, when Mike Harcourt was in power.

As part of routine procedure, the city's chief election officer must certify the final election results by Wednesday, Oct. 24.