Matt Wiebe, 31, was elected as the NDP MLA for the Manitoba riding of Concordia on Tuesday. (CBC)

The long-time constituency assistant to Gary Doer will succeed his former boss as the MLA for Manitoba's Concordia riding.

Voters in the Winnipeg-based ward elected Matthew Wiebe, 31, in a byelection held Tuesday. Unofficial results from Elections Manitoba show Wiebe had garnered 2,065 votes out of a total of 3,517 cast, making him the unequivocal winner.

Wiebe's closest challenger was Progressive Conservative candidate Brian Biebrich, who netted 694 votes.

Elections Manitoba reports 11,150 people were eligible to vote in the byelection.

Wiebe's win comes as little surprise to many, as the Concordia seat has been staunchly NDP since it was created in 1981.

Doer was first elected to the seat in 1986, winning it at one point with 69 per cent of the vote. The closest the Conservatives came to capturing the riding was in 2007 when they got 1,209 votes, compared to Doer's 3,862.

Doer stepped down from the premier's job last October to become Canada's ambassador to the U.S. The seat has been vacant since then.

Wiebe has worked as an assistant to Doer and to Elmwood MLA Bill Blaikie when he was an MP.

He was clearly elated to learn of his election to office.

"We've done everything right in this campaign," he told about 100 supporters gathered to celebrate his win. Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger was on hand to help Wiebe toast the victory.

"We worked hard for every vote we got tonight," Selinger told reporters.

Tuesday's byelection pitted four political rookies against each other: Biebrich, a car sales manager, stumped for the Tories, social worker Judi Heppner carried the Liberal banner and university student Ellen Young represented the Green Party. Heppner tallied 613 votes in the contest and Young 134.

Nine votes were rejected and two voters declined to make a choice on their ballots.

Wiebe's closest challenger throughout the byelection campaign was Biebrich, who ran on a platform of being tough on crime. Wiebe focused on the NDP's record. The party has held power now for a decade.

Tory leader admits defeat well in advance

Controversy swirled around the Manitoba Tories on Tuesday, however, when leader Hugh McFadyen conceded defeat in the riding nine hours before the polls closed at 8 p.m. CT.

"We don't have any champagne on ice over at party headquarters in anticipation of a big surprise tonight," he told CBC News. He later said he didn't intend to concede the byelection, but simply to note the long-standing tradition of NDP support in the riding.

However, Biebrich seemed somewhat stunned when told what McFadyen had said.

"You know, that's something he's, uh, you know, him or myself, we wouldn't want to appear overconfident," Biebrich said in response. "We want to make sure every vote we can get gets out."

There are 57 seats in the Manitoba legislative assembly, of which the NDP have 36, the Progressive Conservatives have 19, the Liberals have two.

With file from The Canadian Press