Liberals Win Majority Government in Quebec

Jean Charest's Liberals have won a majority government in Quebec winning 66 of 125 seats in the Quebec National Assembly.

Only a year and a half ago, Charest's Liberals were reduced to a minority government. Mario Dumont's conservative Action Democratique Quebec became the official opposition. However, it was ineffective in that role. Two of its members defected to the Liberals. Tonight, the ADQ was reduced to 7 seats losing party status in the Assembly. Dumont has announced his resignation as ADQ leader.

The separatist Parti Quebecois under Pauline Marois has returned to official opposition status with 51 seats. Quebec Solidaire, a new left wing party in Quebec, won its first seat in the National Assembly.

With the current political storm in Ottawa the Quebec election kind of got lost in the shuffle although it benefited Charest. Quebec voters did not want to go through the uncertainty that now prevades Ottawa and felt most comfortable with Charest who has been Quebec Premier since 2003. Change might have been in the air here last month but it could not find a home tonight in the cold air of Chateauguay. Charest is the first Quebec Premier to win three consecutive elections since Maurice Duplessis.