Quebec election leaves Parti Québécois facing a divided legislature

Floyd Brenz., Philippine Canadian Inquirer
October 06, 2026

Photo Courtesy: The Canadian Press

The Parti Québécois has made a major political comeback in Quebec, but its return to government comes with a significant constraint: it will have to govern without a majority.

Led by Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, the PQ won 59 of the National Assembly’s 127 seats in Monday’s election. That leaves the party five seats short of the 64 required for a majority.

The result marks a sharp reversal from the party’s position just four years ago, when it was reduced to only three seats. The PQ’s comeback also ends eight years of Coalition Avenir Québec rule. The CAQ received about 13 percent of the vote but did not win a seat.

The new government will also have to navigate a legislature where the opposition remains substantial. The Quebec Liberals won 40 seats, while Éric Duhaime’s Parti conservateur du Québec secured 19. Québec solidaire captured nine seats.

One of the biggest questions now is how the minority government will handle the PQ’s long-standing sovereignty agenda. St-Pierre Plamondon has pledged to pursue another referendum on Quebec independence, although he has said such a vote would not take place until after U.S. President Donald Trump leaves office.

The election also produced an unusually divided political landscape. Five parties each received more than 10 percent of the popular vote, with the PQ taking about 28 percent, followed by the Liberals at roughly 24 percent, the Conservatives at 21 percent, the CAQ at 13 percent and Québec solidaire at 12 percent.

That fragmentation means the PQ’s first challenge will not simply be advancing its political agenda, but finding enough support in the legislature to govern.

For now, Quebec has a new government, but the election has left no single party with enough seats to control the National Assembly on its own. The result sets the stage for negotiations inside the legislature, while putting the question of Quebec sovereignty back into the national conversation.