Liberal Premier Jean Charest managed to hold on to his seat in the Eastern Townships' Sherbrooke riding after a difficult provincial election campaign.
As late as 11:20 p.m. ET, Charest was still neck and neck with Parti Québécois candidate Claude Forgues, with Action Démocratique du Québec neophyte Michel Dumont trailing in third place.
Quebec Liberal Premier Jean Charest casts his ballot in his home riding of Sherbrooke. He was re-elected Monday for the third time.
(Ryan Remiorz/Canadian Press)
Early projections forecast a loss for the incumbent premier, but advance polls, cast midway in the campaign and counted Monday night, provided him with a bit of breathing room.
He managed to open a decent lead ahead of Forgues, finishing with 36.6 per cent of the popular vote, compared to 32.8 per cent for his PQ rival — while the ADQ's Michel Dumont, president of the Quebec Association for the Wrongfully Convicted, grabbed 18.5 per cent of the vote.
Charest respects election outcome
On Monday night, Charest counted his blessings.
"There's a strong lesson in this saga: never say die," he told a small crowd of supporters gathered at his victory party in Sherbrooke.
The vote was history in the making, as Quebecers elected a minority government, an outcome that resulted in a loss of 26 seats for the Liberals.
'Quebecers spoke, and we've accepted their decision.'—Liberal Leader Jean Charest
Charest said he heard the message loud and clear.
"Quebecers spoke, and we've accepted their decision," he said. "They rendered a judgment, and we have to recognize they rendered a severe judgment."
The Liberal leader added he looks forward to the challenge of leading a minority government, with all its "new dynamics".
Tough campaign on home turf
Charest has held the Sherbrooke riding since 1998, when he made the leap into Quebec's political arena after serving as federal Conservative leader. He first won the seat in 1998, and served as Opposition leader until he was re-elected in 2003, when he steered the Quebec Liberals to victory.
In his third bid for office, Charest entered the campaign as an incumbent but also as the most unpopular premier in Quebec's modern history, a reputation that dogged him in his home riding and across the province.
When he called the Quebec election, Charest said he was going to campaign on the Liberals' record, focusing on leadership and integrity. But he underestimated voters' disaffection with the Liberals' term in power, and their vision of reform and change.
Protests followed Charest
Protesters greeted the Liberal leader nearly every time he campaigned in Sherbrooke. In one incident, students circled his campaign bus to protest the Liberals' pledge to raise tuition. On another occasion, social housing activists staged a noisy rally at a Liberal event in Sherbrooke.
The Liberal party lost significant ground in 2007, winning only enough ridings to form a minority government, ahead of the ADQ, which blazed past the PQ.
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| Party | Elected | Leading | Total | Vote Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LIB | 48 | 0 | 48 | 33.08% |
| ADQ | 41 | 0 | 41 | 30.80% |
| PQ | 36 | 0 | 36 | 28.32% |
| QS | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.65% |
| GRN | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.89% |
| OTH | 0 | 0 | 0 | .26% |
| Last Update:March 27, 12:52:21 AM EDT | ||||
Quebec Votes 2007 Headlines »
- Que. Liberals take minority win with grain of salt
- Quebec Premier Jean Charest said he'll build bridges with the Parti Québécois and the Action Démocratique du Québec to ensure a stable minority government.
- Dumont will work with Quebec Premier Charest
- Quebec's new Opposition Leader Mario Dumont said he wants stability at the national assembly and pledged to work with the Liberal minority government on a case-by-case basis.
- Boisclair remains at helm after PQ finishes 3rd
- André Boisclair is staying on as leader of the Parti Québécois and vowed to help rebuild the fractured party after it suffered major losses in Monday's provincial election.
- Quebec election result 'good news' for Canada: PM
- Stephen Harper says voters in the Quebec election have used their ballots to reject calls for another referendum in a "great result" for Canada.
- Charest keeps seat as Liberals cling to power in Quebec
- Quebecers are waking up to a minority Liberal government — the first minority in the province in 130 years — and a new official Opposition.