OTTAWA — The pro-independence Parti Québécois will form a minority government in Quebec as the governing Coalition Avenir Québec failed to win a single seat in Monday’s provincial election.As of 11 p.m. ET, the PQ had won 58 seats and was leading in one more, leaving Paul St-Pierre Plamondon’s party five seats short of the 64 required for a majority in the 127-seat National Assembly.The result returns the PQ to power for the first time since 2014 but leaves it dependent on at least one opposition party to pass budgets and survive confidence votes.The Quebec Liberals will form the official opposition. Charles Milliard’s party had won 37 seats and was leading in three others.Éric Duhaime’s Quebec Conservatives scored a major breakthrough, winning 18 seats and leading in one. The party failed to elect a single member in 2022 despite receiving nearly 13% of the popular vote.Québec solidaire won nine seats. The party also supports Quebec independence, giving the province’s two pro-independence parties a combined 68 seats if the remaining leads hold..The most dramatic result was the complete elimination of the CAQ from the legislature.The party won 90 of the former 125 seats in 2022 under François Legault, giving it one of the largest majorities in Quebec history. Four years later, it was neither elected nor leading in any riding.Christine Fréchette became CAQ leader and premier in April after Legault resigned amid poor polling. She attempted to campaign on the party’s record in government and its response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs, but was unable to reverse its collapse.The PQ entered the campaign with only a handful of seats before expanding to 59 elected or leading Monday night.St-Pierre Plamondon has promised to hold a third referendum on Quebec independence during the PQ’s first mandate. He has said the vote would not take place while Trump remains president, delaying it until sometime after Jan. 20, 2029.Polling during the campaign showed support for independence well below the level needed to win a referendum.The minority result means St-Pierre Plamondon will require support from the Liberals, Conservatives or Québec solidaire to advance legislation and keep his government in office.
