Quebec Liberals Win a Majority

Quebec Premier Jean Charest risked a snap election and pulled it off, returning the Quebec Liberal Party with a majority government. It's a slim majority however, just a few seats more than he needed. It's the first time in 52 years - not since Maurice Duplessis days - that Quebeckers have given a government a third straight mandate. During the campaign, Charest emphasized the need for stability in tough economic times,

Pauline Marois and the Parti Québécois also increased their seat count in the Quebec National Assembly, regaining the status of Official Opposition which they lost to the ADQ in the 2007 Quebec election. PQ leader Pauline Marois' strategy was to downplay sovereignty. An unexpected late surge of the PQ could well have been due to the federal Conservatives' aggressive attacks on the Bloc Québécois and their support of the federal Liberal-NDP coalition stirring softer nationalists in defence.

The gains for the Liberals and the PQ were at the expense of the ADQ, which went from 41 seats to seven, below the threshold of 10 seats needed to retain official party status. Mario Dumont failed to live up to his promise, and was accused of being a one-man party. On election night he said he will not lead the ADQ in the next election, which has major implications for the party.

Québec solidaire's Amir Khadir, co-founder of the left-wing party created in 2006, won the party's first seat in the Montreal riding of Mercier. The party describes itself as sovereigntist, feminist, pluralist and environmentalist. Québec solidaire also finished fourth among the parties in popular vote.

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