Three days before the vote, the Parti Québécois leads the polls and promises to revive the referendum debate
Three days before the provincial election scheduled for Monday, October 5, 2026, the Parti Québécois (PQ) leads voting intentions in Quebec, according to polls cited by RFI. The sovereignist party led by Paul St-Pierre Plamondon garners 30% of support and places the promise of a new independence referendum at the heart of its campaign. ()
The PQ in a position of strength in the final stretch
The party, which has not governed the province since 2014, leads the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ), which has been in power for eight years. According to figures reported by RFI, the PQ receives nearly twice as many voting intentions as the CAQ. The Quebec Liberal Party, a federalist party, comes in second place in the polls, according to the same outlet.
Advance voting has already mobilized part of the electorate: RFI reports that nearly one in four voters cast their ballot before election day. The official electoral calendar sets advance voting for September 27 and 28, followed by the general election on October 5. ()
In the final days of the campaign, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon is seeking to convince undecided voters and secure a majority in order to implement his party’s platform. The prospect of a majority mandate is particularly tied to his commitment regarding the province’s political future.
The referendum question at the center of the debate
The PQ leader promises to revive a referendum on Quebec’s independence in the event of a victory, but specified that he would not hold it as long as Donald Trump is in the White House. This condition is among the points put forward by the sovereignist leader during the campaign.
The sovereignty project has long opposed separatists, who want Quebec to separate from Canada, and federalists. The question of a new referendum has returned to the forefront of the political debate, with Quebecers having previously been consulted on independence in 1980 and again in 1995. In the 1995 vote, the « Yes » camp was narrowly defeated.
The last PQ government, in office from 2012 to 2014, did not promise a new referendum. During a leaders’ debate, Charles Milliard, head of the Quebec Liberal Party, described the election as a « referendum election, » according to remarks reported by RFI. This phrasing underscores the prominence assumed by independence during the campaign, without prejudging the outcome of the vote.
Published by RFI on October 2, 2026, the report presents the PQ as the polling favorite heading into the vote. Voting intentions, however, do not constitute the final result of the election, which is to be held on October 5.
Source: RFI – Actualités, info, news en direct – Radio France Internationale (www.rfi.fr)
Original article: View the original source
Author: RFI
