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In a historic election that marked a departure from Quebec’s longstanding debate over independence, the centre-right Coalition Avenir Québec swept to power for the first time in the province as the incumbent Liberals delivered their worst showing in decades and the sovereigntist Parti Québécois were all but decimated.

Though opinion polls had shown the CAQ in nearly a dead heat with the Liberals heading into election day, they emerged with a majority government. As of 11 p.m. ET, the CAQ led or were elected in 74 ridings, easily outstripping the 63 needed to form a majority, with 38 per cent of the popular vote. The Liberals were leading or elected in 32 seats with 25 per cent of the vote, down from the 68 they held in the province’s national assembly under outgoing premier Philippe Couillard.

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The CAQ, launched in 2011 by leader François Legault — who will now become Quebec’s next premier — broke a string of alternating Liberal and Parti Québécois governments that dates back to the PQ’s founding in 1968. Monday’s election represented an implosion for the sovereigntist party, which was projected to lose official status by failing to secure either 12 seats or 20 per cent of the vote, its worst result since 1973. PQ leader Jean-François Lisée lost his own seat in Montreal to the left-leaning sovereigntist upstart party Québec Solidaire, and as of 11 p.m. the party was expected to retain just nine seats with 17 per cent of the vote. Québec Solidaire, led by co-spokespeople Manon Massé and Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, looked set to increase its seat count from three to 10, with 16 per cent of the vote. Voter turnout was estimated around 67 per cent.