Quebec separatists return to power but fall five seats short of a majority

The Parti Québécois won 59 of Quebec’s 127 legislative seats in Monday’s provincial election, returning to power for the first time in more than a decade but falling five short of a majority. The result leaves party leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon needing opposition support to pass legislation and survive confidence votes. St-Pierre Plamondon has promised another referendum on independence, but says he would wait until U.S. President Donald Trump leaves office. The election itself was not a referendum: AP cited a McGill political scientist who put support for sovereignty at about 30% and said many voters were focused on replacing the Coalition Avenir Québec, which lost all its seats after eight years in power. The outcome reopens Canada’s national-unity debate while placing immediate limits on the PQ’s ability to govern alone. Alberta is due to vote on Oct. 19 on whether to hold an independence-related referendum, adding another test for Prime Minister Mark Carney’s federal government. Illustration: Original AI-generated artwork. Sources: [Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/canada-quebec-election-a4e8ecaa4026c46d0346e9487c5e333d) · [Élections Québec results](https://www.electionsquebec.qc.ca/en/results-and-statistics/provincial-general-elections-live-results/) · [Carney’s response](https://apnews.com/article/canada-quebec-independence-carney-pq-e44fdd95f00f0a066dd3db19e346b692)