Gilles Duceppe won’t run for the PQ in next election

QUEBEC – Former Bloc Quebecois leader Gilles Duceppe said he will not run in the next Quebec election.

Duceppe told The Canadian Press on Monday that he won’t seek a Parti Quebecois nomination and hasn’t been asked by the PQ if he would be interested.

“I don’t have the intention of running in this election,” the 66-year-old said in a telephone interview, adding he would have declined any offer if he had been asked.

Speculation is swirling that Premier Pauline Marois is poised to call a provincial election in the days or weeks after her minority government tabled its budget on Thursday.

READ MORE: Full budget coverage and analysis

Duceppe has been associated with the PQ in the past – usually as a potential leader.

He said he will contribute to the campaign through his column in a Montreal newspaper.

Duceppe said he hopes Marois will call another sovereignty referendum if the PQ forms a majority government.

WATCH: Extended interview with Gilles Duceppe on Charter

“I would hope so,” he said. “Of course, we won’t be doing this lightly.”

Marois has said she would like her government to produce a status update on Quebec’s position in Canada before going to public consultations.