ADQ Leader Gilles Taillon, left, made a brief statement Tuesday, accompanied by the party's leader in the legislature, Francois Bonnardel. (CBC)

The newly elected leader of the Action Démocratique du Québec effectively resigned Tuesday, calling for a fresh leadership race less than three weeks after he won his party’s top job by only two votes.

Gilles Taillon made the announcement following a meeting Tuesday with the four members of his party's caucus.

Taillon said "fruitless internal wrangling" within the party justified a new leadership race.

He said he would stay on as party leader until then.

In a news conference later the same day, the party’s leader in the legislature, François Bonnardel, confirmed Taillon would not run in the upcoming race.

Taillon made the decision to resign on his own, Bonnardel said, adding that caucus would continue to do its work in the assembly.

Taillon also announced he is asking Quebec's provincial police to review the ADQ's bookkeeping, after finding unspecified irregularities dating back to 2003.

On Friday, two of the party's MNAs quit the caucus, saying they could no longer support Taillon. Former party leadership contender Éric Caire and Marc Picard said they would continue to sit as Independents in Quebec's national assembly.

Then on Monday, the president of the ADQ, Mario Charpentier, resigned following allegations he had intervened in the leadership race by making a financial contribution to Taillon’s campaign.

Taillon said he regretted Charpentier's decision, calling him someone who had worked hard for the ADQ.

Also on Monday, Chaveau MNA Gérard Deltell raised questions about his future with the party after he declined to comment on whether he would remain a member of the ADQ caucus.

Taillon did not take questions from reporters Tuesday and did not indicate whether he would run again for party leader.

MNA won't return

In a news conference the same day, Caire called Taillon’s decision to seek a new leadership race “an irreparable mistake.” Caire said Taillon had been elected as the party’s legitimate leader and should have stayed on.

Caire also said he has no intention of running for the leadership of the ADQ or rejoining the party.

“The first [leadership race] nearly destroyed us,” he said, adding that he didn’t see how the party would survive a second one.

Caire said he had no knowledge of the financial irregularities mentioned by Taillon.

Support for Deltell

In an interview with Radio-Canada, another former leadership contender, former Levis MNA Christian Lévesque, called for Deltell to be named the next leader of the party.

“He is an elected MNA who has the respect of all Adequistes and who would quickly bring us back to what is important … to avoid all this internal fighting we’ve seen in the past few weeks,” Lévesque said.

Taillon, the ADQ’s former deputy leader, was elected Oct. 18 to succeed Mario Dumont as party chief.