PRO-INDEPENDENCE PARTY WINS ELECTION IN QUEBEC

TORONTO, OCTOBER 6 /SRNA/ - The Parti Québécois, which has promised a new referendum on independence for the Canadian province, won the provincial election, according to official results.

The party won the most seats in Quebec`s 127-member National Assembly, but it is still unclear whether it will secure the 64 seats needed for a majority government, AP reported. The victory of the party led by Paul St-Pierre Plamondon has ended the Coalition Avenir Québec`s eight-year rule, bringing the question of Quebec's future within Canada back to the center of provincial politics. St-Pierre Plamondon has promised another independence referendum, but said he would wait until U.S. President Donald Trump is no longer in office. If the Parti Québécois fails to win 64 seats, it would form a minority government and need the support of opposition lawmakers to pass key legislation and survive confidence votes. Coalition Avenir Québec leader Christine Fréchette conceded defeat, saying that voters had made their choice and that she takes full responsibility for the "difficult result." The coalition held 79 seats in the legislature before the election, but could now lose its majority.