The 2012 Quebec general election took place in the Canadian province of Quebec on September 4, 2012. Lieutenant Governor Pierre Duchesne dissolved the National Assembly on August 1, 2012, following Premier Jean Charest's request. The Parti Québécois were elected to a minority government, with Pauline Marois becoming the first woman to be Premier of Quebec. The Quebec Liberal Party took second place, with Premier Jean Charest losing his seat. The newly-formed Coalition Avenir Québec, led by François Legault, took third place, while Québec solidaire took 2 seats out of the 125.

During Marois' victory speech, an attack including gunshots and a fire occurred at the Métropolis concert hall housing the eventOne person shot dead, another injured during Pauline Marois' victory speech Toronto Star and a forty-year-old man died as a result of gunshot wounds.

This was the last time the Parti Québécois won government until 2026. Timeline

2008 December 8 – 39th Quebec general election December 15 – Pauline Marois becomes the leader of the Official Opposition. December 18 – Swearing in of the Cabinet members

2009 January 13 – Yvon Vallières is elected President of the National Assembly. January 14 – An economic statement is pronounced by Monique Jérôme-Forget. March 6 – Resignation of Mario Dumont (ADQ) as MNA of Rivière-du-Loup March 10 – The opening speech of the 39th Quebec Legislature is pronounced by Premier Jean Charest. March 25 — The Conservative Party of Quebec is registered. April 8 – Resignation of Monique Jérôme-Forget (Lib) as MNA of Marguerite-Bourgeoys April 9 — The Parti nul is registered. June 22 – In two by-elections, Jean D'Amour (Lib) and Clément Gignac (Lib) are elected MNAs of Rivière-du-Loup and Marguerite-Bourgeoys respectively. June 25 – Resignation of François Legault (PQ) as MNA of Rousseau September 21 – In a by-election, Nicolas Marceau (PQ) is elected MNA of Rousseau with 57% of the vote. October 18 – Gilles Taillon is elected as leader of the Action démocratique du Québec (ADQ). November 6 – Éric Caire and Marc Picard leave the ADQ to sit as independents. November 10 – Gilles Taillon resigns his post as ADQ leader amid Caire and Picard's defections. Taillon also called for a police investigation into the “troubling” funding practices in the party." November 19 – Gérard Deltell replaces Taillon as leader of ADQ.

2010 January 6 – Resignation of Camil Bouchard (PQ) as MNA of Vachon May 6 – Tony Tomassi is kicked out of the Liberal cabinet and caucus after it is revealed he was given a gasoline credit card by a private security firm. July 5 – In a by-election, Martine Ouellet (PQ) is elected MNA of Vachon with 59% of the vote. August 9 – Resignation of Jacques Dupuis (Lib) as MNA of Saint-Laurent September 7 – Resignation of Claude Béchard as MNA of Kamouraska-Témiscouata (Lib), he dies from cancer later that day September 13 – In a by-election, Jean-Marc Fournier (Lib) is elected MNA of Saint-Laurent with 64% of the vote. November 29 – In a by-election, André Simard (PQ) is elected MNA of Kamouraska-Témiscouata with 37% of the vote.

2011 March 7 — A party named "Québec - Révolution démocratique" is registered. June 6 – Louise Beaudoin, Pierre Curzi, and Lisette Lapointe leave the Parti Québécois to sit as independents.Parti Québécois heavyweights quit over Marois’s leadership style The Globe and Mail June 7 – Jean-Martin Aussant leaves the Parti Québécois to sit as an independent.Fourth defector blasts Marois as Parti Québécois revolt escalates The Globe and Mail June 21 – Benoit Charette leaves the Parti Québécois to sit as an independent and René Gauvreau is asked to leave the Parti Québécois pending an investigation of his former aide.2 more MNAs leave Parti Québécois CBC News September 6 – Resignation of Nathalie Normandeau (Lib) as MNA of Bonaventure September 19 – Jean-Martin Aussant (Ind, ex-PQ) announces his intention to register a new sovereigntist political party, Option nationale.Former PQ MNA files papers to start sovereignist party The Gazette November 4 – Coalition Avenir Québec, a new party led by François Legault, is officially registered. November 17 – Lisette Lapointe buys an Option nationale membership, but remains sitting as an independent.Lisette Lapointe avec Option nationale Le Soleil November 24 – Daniel Ratthé is expelled from the PQ caucus. December 5 – In a by-election, Damien Arsenault (Lib) is elected MNA of Bonaventure with 49.5% of the vote. December 14 – The Coalition Avenir Québec and the ADQ announced an agreement in principle to merge, pending final approval from the ADQ membership. December 16 – Resignation of David Whissell (Lib) as MNA of ArgenteuilQuebec Liberal MNA David Whissell resigns The Gazette December 19 – Éric Caire (Ind, ex-ADQ), Benoit Charette (Ind, ex-PQ), Marc Picard (Ind, ex-ADQ), and Daniel Ratthé (Ind, ex-PQ) join the Coalition Avenir Québec. Postmedia News

2012

January 9 – François Rebello (PQ) joins the Coalition Avenir Québec.Another PQ MNA joins new Coalition Quebec party CBC News January 22 – The ADQ membership approves a merger with the Coalition Avenir Québec, resulting in ADQ MNA's Sylvie Roy, Janvier Grondin, François Bonnardel and leader Gérard Deltell becoming CAQ members. February 14 — The Coalition Avenir Québec is registered. February 25 – Founding convention of Option nationale. March 4 – Independent Lisette Lapointe announces that she will not run in the next election. March 21 — The Équipe autonomiste is registered. April 3 - Louise Beaudoin (Ind) rejoins the Parti Québécois.Parti Québécois leader Pauline Marois welcomes MNA Louise Beaudoin back into the fold The Gazette April 5 - René Gauvreau (Ind) is re-admitted into the Parti Québécois.René Gauvreau réintègre le caucus Agence QMI (in French) May 3 - Resignation of Tony Tomassi (Ind) as MNA of LaFontaineMNA Tony Tomassi quits Quebec National Assembly The Gazette May 8 — The Middle Class Party of Quebec is registered. May 14 - Resignation of Line Beauchamp (Lib) as MNA of Bourassa-Sauvé June 11 - In by-elections, Marc Tanguay (Lib) is elected MNA of LaFontaine with 53% of the vote,Page d'accueil - Le Directeur général des élections du Québec (DGEQ) and Roland Richer (PQ) is elected MNA of Argenteuil with 36% of the vote.Page d'accueil - Le Directeur général des élections du Québec (DGEQ) June 13 — The Coalition pour la constituante is registered. June 29 — The Parti démocratie chrétienne du Québec is renamed to Parti unité nationale. July 11 — Documents from the Quebec Liberal Party and the Government suggest that a general election will be called on August 1 and take place on Tuesday, September 4. July 13 — The Quebec Citizens' Union is registered. August 1 - Lieutenant Governor Pierre Duchesne dissolves the National Assembly, on Premier Jean Charest's request, and calls an election for September 4, 2012. September 4 - The election takes place. Pauline Marois's victory speech is disrupted by the 2012 Montreal shooting.

Redistribution of ridings The Commission de la représentation électorale performed a redistribution in 2011, which maintained the number of seats in the National Assembly at 125 for the next general election, making the following alterations:

Abolished ridings New ridingsRenaming of districts Anjou Anjou–Louis-Riel Charlevoix Charlevoix–Côte-de-Beaupré Drummond Drummond–Bois-Francs Marguerite-D'Youville Montarville Mégantic-Compton Mégantic Montmagny-L'Islet Côte-du-Sud Nicolet-Yamaska Nicolet-Bécancour Prévost Saint-Jérôme Shefford Granby Vanier Vanier-Les RivièresDrawn from other districts RepentignyPart from L'Assomption. Sainte-RoseParts from Fabre and Vimont. SanguinetParts from Châteauguay, La Prairie and Huntingdon.Merger of districts Lotbinière Frontenac Lotbinière-Frontenac Matane Matapédia Matane-Matapédia Rivière-du-Loup Kamouraska-Témiscouata Rivière-du-Loup–Témiscouata

Incumbent MNAs who did not run for re-election

Liberal Vincent Auclair, Vimont Daniel Bernard, Rouyn-Noranda–Témiscamingue Michelle Courchesne, Fabre Monique Gagnon-Tremblay, Saint-François Johanne Gonthier, Mégantic-Compton Norman MacMillan, Papineau Yvon Vallières, Richmond

Parti Québécois Louise Beaudoin, Rosemont Danielle Doyer, Matapédia René Gauvreau, Groulx Martin Lemay, Sainte-Marie–Saint-Jacques Claude Pinard, Saint-Maurice Sylvain Simard, Richelieu Guillaume Tremblay, Masson

Coalition Avenir Québec Janvier Grondin, Beauce-Nord

Independent Pierre Curzi, Borduas Lisette Lapointe, Crémazie

Opinion polls

Polling firmLast date of pollingLink QLP PQ CAQ QS ON GPQ Other2012 ElectionHTML31.2031.9527.056.031.890.990.89Forum ResearchPDF2936256220EKOSPDF23.236.024.510.75.5Léger MarketingPDF2733287311CROPHTML2632289221Forum ResearchPDF2833278220CROPHTML2633287331Léger MarketingPDF2733287221Forum ResearchPDF3529249120Léger MarketingPDF2833276320CROPHTML2734257231Forum ResearchPDF313525620Léger MarketingPDF3132276220CROPHTML2932218234Forum ResearchPDF323424630Forum ResearchPDF383914430Léger MarketingPDF31332172422008 ElectionHTML42.0835.17—3.78—2.1716.80 Opinion polling from 2008 to June 2012Polling firmLast date of pollingLink QLP PQ CAQ QS ON GPQ ADQ OtherLéger MarketingPDF3332199142CROPPDF3130229252Léger MarketingPDF32322110140Forum ResearchPDF3433181040Segma RecherchePDF2832191191Forum ResearchPDF3533191030CROPHTML3125248282Léger MarketingPDF2831249242Forum ResearchPDF353516860CROPPDF3028258171Forum ResearchPDF343918640Léger MarketingPDF2733227155Forum ResearchHTML294119840CROPPDF303424515Léger MarketingPDF2833246243Forum ResearchHTML303919650CROPHTML2930268231Léger MarketingPDF292928842Léger MarketingPDF262532962CROPPDF29213111251Léger MarketingPDF272533933CROPPDF281839951Léger MarketingPDF222437953CROPJPG252142741CROPPDF2719336563Léger MarketingPDF2221358383Léger MarketingPDF222035*8582CROPPDF2825135209Léger MarketingPDF221836*7593Léger MarketingPDF26251161814CROPPDF2828117189Léger MarketingPDF251734*7692Léger MarketingPDF3126951613CROPPDF3327115169Léger MarketingPDF34241251411CROPPDF352977175Léger MarketingPDF3030116176CROPHTML2726179157CROPPDF23341211165Léger MarketingPDF303494185Léger MarketingPDF313895143Léger MarketingPDF2737115137Léger MarketingPDF283497157CROPHTML31409713Angus Reid Public OpinionPDF2640108115Léger MarketingPDF3240116102Léger MarketingPDF31419793Angus Reid Public OpinionPDF313988123Léger MarketingPDF304185132Léger MarketingPDF314087121Angus Reid Public OpinionPDF2341910135Léger MarketingPDF304098102Léger MarketingPDF323810710Léger MarketingPDF3740669CROPHTML4038886Léger MarketingPDF3941756Léger MarketingPDF3741778CROPHTML3940668Léger MarketingPDF41376510EnvironicsHTML45384111Léger MarketingPDF40405581EnvironicsHTML34502113EnvironicsHTML364081142008 ElectionHTML42.0835.17—3.78—2.1716.370.43 By Language French