The Liberal MP for Nelligan, Monsef Derraji, closed the door that he himself opened in October. He said Wednesday that he did not intend to run for leadership of his party.
“No, I won’t go,” he told journalists.
In August, Mr. Derraji said he was giving up the race for leadership of the Liberal Party of Quebec (PLQ). He then reversed this decision in October. “If there is only one candidate, we will see,” he said at the time.
On Wednesday, he finally declared that he had “no interest” in the position. “You know very well what [mêlées de presse] “, he said to explain this second change of heart. The idea of jumping into the race, “it was only a hypothesis, but I am convinced that there will be more than two candidates”, he explained in a press briefing at the National Assembly.
Like Mr. Derraji, former senator and editorialist André Pratte juggled with the idea of running for party leadership and changed his mind on the subject a few times.
On October 12, Mr. Pratte declared to the Duty that he “did not intend” to enter the race. He had nevertheless undertaken consultations and had embarked on a reflection on the subject of chieftaincy, had learned The duty from reliable sources. Publicly, Mr. Pratte had repeated that he had “no intention” of running for the position.
Then, in a statement produced on Tuesday, the former senator confirmed that he had indeed taken some steps and considered the possibility of being leader of the PLQ. The same day, he wrote to Duty that he had finally “definitely decided” not to be in the running.
So far, only MP Frédéric Beauchemin, currently excluded from the Liberal caucus, has expressed interest in the party leadership race.
This will take place in spring 2025, as confirmed by the party executive in October.