After weeks of speculation, Quebec’s upcoming provincial election will kick off on Aug. 28, 2022.
A beaming Premier François Legault made the announcement in a video uploaded to Twitter, saying the official run will start this Sunday.
“I want to wish a good campaign to all the candidates,” he said.
The campaign will last until voters head to the polls Oct. 3, he added.
A Leger poll published earlier this month found support for Legault’s Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) party at 44 per cent, compared to 18 per cent for the second-place Quebec Liberals.
As the legislature broke for the summer, Legault’s party had 76 seats. The Quebec Liberals had 27, Québec solidaire had 10 and the Parti Québécois had seven. Meanwhile, the Conservative Party of Quebec held one seat and there were four Independents in the national assembly.
In 2018, Legault’s party cruised to a majority in what marked its first win in Quebec. The CAQ made history as it was the first new party to take power in the province since 1976.
— with files from The Canadian Press