The separatist Parti Québécois (PQ) won Quebec’s provincial election on October 5, 2026, but only with a minority. Preliminary results give the PQ about 59 of the National Assembly’s 127 seats, short of the 64 needed for a majority, on roughly 28% of the popular vote. PQ leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon is set to become premier, the party’s first time in power since 2014.
The Quebec Liberals finished second with 40 seats, the Conservatives gained seats (about 19), and Québec solidaire won 9. The governing Coalition Avenir Québec, led by outgoing Premier Christine Fréchette, was not projected to win a single seat. The PQ has promised another independence referendum, likely not before 2029, but it would need support from other parties to hold one.
Source: BBC News: Separatist party projected to win Quebec election (October 6, 2026). Preliminary seat totals: 2026 Quebec general election results summary.
Image: Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, photo by UnPingouin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.