Outgoing Premier François Legault met with the province’s Lt.-Gov who dissolved the provincial legislature and declared the general election.
The election day was set for October 3rd, leaving five weeks to political parties to convince voters.
Mainstream media projections give the outgoing government, the Coalition Avenir Quebec a strong majority government.
Premier Legault’s four-year term was marked by the implementation of what many call ‘extremist’ language laws and heavy restrictions and mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Many voters believe that while the Legault government removed most restrictions for the election, the party could bring back mask mandates and vaccine passports after they are reelected.
The Quebec Liberal Party and the Parti Québécois, the two historically dominant parties in the province, are polling at low numbers. The Parti Québécois could end up with just one seat, according to projections.
Éric Duhaime’s Conservative party is the party to watch for, according to many. Duhaime, a political commentator, was elected leader of the party in April 2021 as it polled at less than 2%. Today, the party polls as high as 35% in the Quebec-city area.
Quebec’s socialist party, Quebec Solidaire, has been stagnating around 15% in recent years.
