Quebec elections: François Legault wins the 2022 provincial elections


Francois Legault was elected to a second term as premier of Quebec with a majority government, CTV News said.

Within eight minutes of polls closing across the province at 8 p.m. ET, CTV News reported that Legault’s Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ) party secured a resounding victory in Quebec’s Legislative Assembly.

“More proud! Richer ! said Legault’s deputy premier, Geneviève Guilbault, summing up her party’s sense of victory.

For anyone interested in the Quebec election campaign of the last 36 days, the victory of the CAQ is not really a surprise.

Poll after poll, Legault’s party would win a landslide electoral victory.

It now looks like Legault will also make Quebec election history on Monday night as his party won in 92 ridings as the votes continue to be counted.

It was former Premier Robert Bourassa who set a record in a historic election in 1989 by winning 91 seats out of a total of 125 for the Quebec Liberal Party at the time.

The 2022 election was clearly a race for second place, as polls suggested official opposition status was up for grabs between the Liberal Party of Quebec and Quebec solidaire.

CTV News said shortly after the polls closed that the Liberals would retain official opposition status in the National Assembly.

Meanwhile, CTV News said Quebec Solidaire co-spokesperson Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois retains his seat in the Montreal riding of Gouin.

Legault spent part of Monday in the Quebec region asking voters to support his party.

“We need your vote because we want to continue — continue — to fight for a more prosperous, greener and prouder Quebec,” he said Monday.

A few blunders by the outgoing prime minister did not seem to massively turn voters away from the CAQ. Twice, Legault was forced to apologize for comments he made during the election campaign. In one instance, the head of the CAQ said he was sorry for drawing parallels between immigrants and “violence” and “extremists.”

He also apologized to the family of Joyce Echaquan, a 37-year-old Atikamekw woman who died on September 28, 2020, after saying racism issues were “resolved” at the hospital where she died.

During his four years in office, Legault passed 125 bills in the National Assembly, including a law to replace school boards with school service centers, a revamped French language charter, and the controversial law on secularism which prohibits officials in positions of authority, including teachers. , to wear religious symbols at work.

The three laws adopted by the CAQ government are currently being challenged in court, but it is Bill 96 and Bill 21 that have surprised many with the exceptional use of the derogation clause.


This is breaking news. More soon.