The separatist Parti Québécois won the provincial election in Quebec on Monday, possibly setting the stage for a referendum on the French-speaking province’s independence from Canada in the next few years.

Voters hungry for change returned the Parti Québécois to power for the first time in 12 years, even though they displayed little interest in the commitment of its leader, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, to hold a referendum on secession from Canada.

The Parti Québécois fell short of clinching a majority, winning 59 seats out of 127 in the provincial legislature, according to incomplete results as of 10:15 p.m. Eastern. That could make it difficult for Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon to fulfill his campaign promise to hold a referendum after President Trump leaves office in 2029 and the economy stabilizes.

A Parti Québécois minority government could struggle to stay in power for a full four-year term. Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon will also govern after winning only about 28 percent of the popular vote, according to incomplete results, making it hard for him to claim a popular mandate.

The governing Coalition Avenir Québec, which held power for two terms and was re-elected in a landslide four years ago, suffered a total collapse in its support — winning no seats, according to incomplete results.

“It’s clearly a difficult result,” Christine Fréchette, Quebec’s premier and leader of the Coalition Avenir Québec, said in a concession speech.

We are having trouble retrieving the article content.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access.

Already a subscriber? Log in.

Want all of The Times? Subscribe.

Supported by

Advertisement