The 2026 Quebec general election was held on October 5, 2026, to elect members to the National Assembly of the 44th Quebec Legislature. Lieutenant Governor Manon Jeannotte dropped the writs of election on August 27, 2026, after Premier Christine Fréchette advised her to dissolve the legislature. Key issues of the election campaign included the cost of living, housing, Quebec sovereignty, infrastructure, protection of Quebec culture and the French language, U.S. tariffs, healthcare, the economy, and energy.
Fréchette led the governing Coalition Avenir Québec to a historic defeat, losing all 79 of their seats in an electoral wipeout, only the fourth time in Canadian history for a ruling party, joining the Prince Edward Island Conservatives in 1935, the United Farmers of Alberta in 1935, and the New Brunswick Progressive Conservatives in 1987. In terms of the number and percentage of seats lost, this far surpassed Richard Hatfield's 1987 loss as the worst defeat for a provincial government in Canadian history.
Paul St-Pierre Plamondon led the Parti Québécois to a massive rebound in popularity, jumping from 7 seats to 59, after having won just 3 in 2022. Plamondon became Premier-designate of Quebec, but fell short of a majority government that had been predicted by many pundits. The Quebec Liberal Party placed second with their highest seat count since 2014, while the Conservative Party of Quebec gained official party status for the first time since being founded in 2009, and the first time since 1935 that seats would be won under a Conservative party banner. Québec Solidaire dropped 2 seats from 11 to 9.
This was the first election in Quebec history where no party reached 30% of the popular vote, and the first since 1998 in which sovereigntist parties won a combined majority of seats in the National Assembly (the Parti Québécois and Québec Solidaire).
Background In the 2022 general election, the Coalition Avenir Québec under François Legault increased its parliamentary majority, winning 90 seats. The Liberals, despite finishing fourth in the popular vote behind Québec solidaire and the Parti Québécois, remained the official opposition, winning 21 seats. The Parti Québécois lost most of its remaining seats but managed to elect its previously seatless leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon to a seat. The Conservatives increased their share of the vote to 13%; however, as their support was more spread out throughout Quebec, they did not gain any seats.
On January 14, 2026, Legault announced his pending resignation as leader of the CAQ and premier of Quebec.
Under the province's fixed election date law, passed in 2013, "the general election following the end of a Legislature shall be held on the first Monday of October of the fourth calendar year following the year that includes the last day of the previous Legislature", setting the date for October 5, 2026. On August 27, premier Fréchette visited the lieutenant governor of Quebec to advise her to dissolve the legislature and call a general election.
Ahead of the election, the CAQ officially changed its registration to Équipe Christine Fréchette - Coalition Avenir Québec.https://www.electionsquebec.qc.ca/partis-et-autres-entites-politiques/partis-politiques/fiche-du-parti/00085/27/
Political parties and standings The table below lists parties represented and seats held in the National Assembly after the 2022 provincial election. NameIdeologyPositionLeader2022 resultSeats atDissolutionVotes (%)SeatsCoalition AvenirQuébec Christine FréchetteLiberalCentre tocentre-rightCharles MilliardQuébec solidaireLeft-wing tofar-leftRuba Ghazal & Sol Zanetti(co-spokespersons)Parti QuébécoisCentre-leftto centrePaul St-Pierre PlamondonConservativeRight-wingÉric DuhaimeIndependentsN/AVacantN/A
Changes to the National Assembly Constituency name changes The following electoral districts had their names changed in June 2025: Old name New name Arthabaska Arthabaska–L’Érable Laporte Pierre-Laporte Matane-Matapédia Matane-Matapédia-Mitis Rivière-du-Loup–Témiscouata Rivière-du-Loup–Témiscouata–Les Basques Vimont Vimont-Auteuil
Redistribution of seats For the 2026 election, the Assembly was increased to 127 seats. Two new seats were created, 39 had their boundaries changed, and five regions saw no changes at all.
+ Changes to electoral districts (2026)Region New district ModificationsCapitale-Nationale La Peltrie Portneuf Vanier-Les RivièresCentre-du-QuébecMarie-Lacoste-Gérin-Lajoiedrawn from parts of Johnson, Nicolet-Bécancour and Drummond–Bois-Francs Arthabaska–L'Érable Drummond–Bois-Francs Nicolet-BécancourEstrie Brome-Missisquoi Daniel-Johnsonformerly Johnson Granby Mégantic Orford Richmond Saint-FrançoisLanaudière Berthier L'Assomption Repentigny TerrebonneLaurentidesBellefeuilledrawn from parts of Saint-Jérôme, Mirabel and Argenteuil Argenteuil Les Plaines Mirabel Saint-JérômeLaval Chomedey Laval-des-Rapides Mille-ÎlesMontérégie Beauharnois Borduas Huntingdon Richelieu Saint-Hyacinthe Saint-Jean Soulanges Vaudreuil VerchèresOutaouais Chapleau Gatineau Hull PapineauSaguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean Chicoutimi Dubuc
+ Unchanged electoral divisions - statutory preservation (2026) Arising from Region Divisions NumberBas-Saint-Laurent Matane-Matapédia-Mitis Rimouski2Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine Bonaventure Gaspé2Montreal Anjou–Louis-Riel Camille-Laurin Hochelaga-Maisonneuve LaFontaine Laurier-Dorion Pointe-aux-Trembles Sainte-Marie-Saint-Jacques Viau8Total12
+ Regions with no electoral changes (2026) Arising from Region Divisions NumberCommission Order Abitibi-TémiscamingueAll divisions3Chaudière-Appalaches7Côte-Nord2Mauricie4Nord-du-Québec1Total17
Nominal redistributed results
The new election boundaries saw different results in 41 constituencies, including the new constituencies of Bellefeuille and Marie-Lacoste-Gérin-Lajoie, the table below gives the nominal results for the 2022 election using the new boundaries.