Quebec voters elected the Parti Québécois (PQ) as a minority government in the recent provincial election, marking a significant political comeback after the party’s poor performance in 2022. PQ leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon promised to hold a sovereignty referendum if his party forms a majority or gains support from Québec solidaire, which also advocates for Quebec's independence. The Liberals were elected as the official opposition with 40 seats, while the Conservatives won their first seats in modern Quebec history with 19, pledging to prevent a sovereignty referendum. This election resulted in a fragmented political landscape, with no party securing more than 30% of the vote.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-06,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
The leaders of Quebec's five main political parties, including the separatist Parti Québécois (PQ), are making their final pitches to undecided voters over the weekend before a provincial election on Monday, October 5, 2026. The PQ has led polls throughout the campaign and is expected to form a government with promises of a sovereignty referendum in 2029, should they win a majority. About one-quarter of eligible Quebec voters have already cast ballots in advance polls. PQ leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon has defended his party against criticisms that a referendum would cause instability, urging voters for a majority mandate to implement change after eight years of Coalition Avenir Québec governance.
Written for “Quebec Election Vote” on 2026-10-06,
grounded in this article and the 32 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The article's own words the score was based on. Each is quoted
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stored, so you can find it in the original.
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Parti Québécois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon won his party’s leadership in 2020 with a promise to hold a referendum if he formed a government.
left Supports the sovereignty movement.
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The Parti Québécois and Québec solidaire combined for more than 40 per cent of the popular vote on Monday evening. Together, the two sovereigntist parties also captured a majority of the seats in the national assembly.
left Highlights support for sovereignty.
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Duhaime has also pledged to stop the PQ from staging a referendum on sovereignty.
right Explicitly opposes sovereignty.
Leaning: leans right for article 60004 (medium confidence, 3 verified quotes) · logged 2026-10-06
Quebec voters elected a Parti Québécois minority government Monday, completing a dramatic political comeback and paving the way for an eventual third sovereignty referendum.
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voters → elect → referendum
PQ comes back from the brink
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PQ → come → brink
After being reduced to three seats in the 2022 election, the Parti Québécois stormed back to form a government, falling short of the 64 seats needed to form a majority in the Quebec legislature.
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Québécois → reduce → legislature
The party was able to capitalize on Quebecers’ desire for change after eight years of Coalition Avenir Québec rule in the province.
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party → capitalize → province
PQ has promised a referendum
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PQ → promise → referendum
Parti Québécois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon won his party’s leadership in 2020 with a promise to hold a referendum if he formed a government.
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he → win → government
Although his party fell short of a majority government, he may have an opportunity to work with Québec solidaire, a left-wing sovereigntist party that could support his plans to stage a referendum after U.S. President Donald Trump leaves the White House in 2029.
uncertain
Trump → fall → 2029
The Parti Québécois and Québec solidaire combined for more than 40 per cent of the popular vote on Monday evening.
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Québécois → combine → evening
Together, the two sovereigntist parties also captured a majority of the seats in the national assembly.
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parties → capture → assembly
Quebec Liberals form strong Opposition
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Liberals → form → Opposition
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Voters chose the Quebec Liberals as the official Opposition for the third general election in a row.
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Voters → get → row
The party more than doubled its seats in the legislature, finishing the evening with 40 elected members.
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party → double → members
Leader Charles Milliard said his party was the only federalist party committed to remaining in Canada, although he is not the only leader who has pledged to block plans for a referendum.
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who → say → referendum
Quebec Conservatives elected for first time in modern Quebec history
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We → elect → Regina
Catholic, Anglican bishops urge Albertans to consider referendum’s impact on vulnerable
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bishops → urge → impact
Eby defends his plan to tax the rich as campaigns tackle health care crisis
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campaigns → defend → crisis
American officials have ‘concerns’ about Trump’s Canada attacks, MPs hear
Conservatives last elected a member to the Quebec legislature in 1935.
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Conservatives → have → 1935
The party will now form a strong contingent in the legislature with a caucus of 19.
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party → form → 19
Under Éric Duhaime’s leadership, the party surged from a marginal formation that captured less than two per cent of the vote in 2018 to a main player.
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that → surge → player
The party ran a campaign that was largely targeted on key ridings, after failing to capture a seat in 2022 despite getting close to 13 per cent of the vote.
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that → run → vote
Duhaime has also pledged to stop the PQ from staging a referendum on sovereignty.
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Duhaime → pledge → sovereignty
Five parties ended the evening with more than 10 per cent of the vote and none had more than 30 per cent of the votes that were counted.
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that → end → votes
The PQ came close to forming a majority government, even though it only received about 28 per cent of the total number of votes counted on Monday.
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it → come → Monday
The Liberals had about 24 per cent, while the Conservatives had about 21 per cent.
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Conservatives → have → cent
Coalition Avenir Québec had about 13 per cent of the vote, but failed to win any seats, while Québec solidaire, which had about 12 per cent of the vote, won nine seats.
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which → have → seats
The Aporia
