SAINTE-MARY | Conservative activists remained on the end of their seat until the very end of the evening, Monday, believing until the last minute in the possibility of electing a first deputy in Beauce.
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At the time of going to press, it was still unclear whether the Conservative Party of Quebec (PCQ) would manage to send at least one member to the National Assembly.
Two Beauce battles remained incredibly close, with more than 98% of the votes counted.
In Beauce-Nord, the mayor of Saint-Lambert-de-Lauzon, Olivier Dumais, candidate under the conservative banner, trailed by only 217 votes behind the incumbent Luc Provençal (CAQ), with 149 polling stations on 151 taken into account.
In Beauce-Sud, outgoing MP Samuel Poulin (CAQ) held a lead of only 361 votes over his Conservative rival Jonathan Poulin.
Only two polling stations had not yet delivered their results.
Mr. Dumais did not rule out a request for a judicial recount. “361 canceled votes, maybe it’s normal, maybe it’s not… it’s too tight to leave it like that, because the Conservative Party needs a voice in parliament”, he commented.
According to him, there is a certain “injustice” in the fact that the PCQ could have no seats, or very few, despite the fact that it won more than 13% of the national vote.
Cold shower
The defeat of Duhaime threw a cold shower on the conservative rally in Sainte-Marie.
Supporters said they were stunned by the party’s inability to make a convincing breakthrough. “It’s very emotional,” conceded an activist, Claudie Reinhardt. “I think that at present, many of us have doubts about the procedures,” she said.
“I think there may be irregularities. There is something that does not work, because on the ground, I saw a very strong enthusiasm, ”she said.
However, this sentiment was not shared by all. “It’s people like us who take care of the boxes [de scrutin]. I have already done this work myself. I think it’s well done,” said volunteer Michel Poulin.