The Court of Quebec has granted the Parti Québécois’ (PQ) request and ordered a judicial recount in the Champlain riding, in the Mauricie region, where the PQ candidate lost by 191 votes. The judicial recount of all ballot papers cast on polling day will begin on Thursday morning at the Trois-Rivières courthouse, Judge Éric Martel ruled in a decision handed down on Tuesday. The PQ argued that “inaccuracies” were identified during the Oct. 5 count. According to the party, 80 ballot papers were missing from one ballot box and around 30 from another. On election night, the PQ candidate in Champlain, René Branchaud, was defeated by the Conservative candidate, Adriana Szalontai. The PQ has also requested a judicial recount in the Vachon riding, in the Montérégie region. In the Longueuil constituency, the Liberal candidate Affine Lwalalika narrowly secured victory over the PQ’s Stephan Fogaing by just ten votes. The Court of Quebec also granted the PQ’s request. The judicial recount in Vachon began on Monday and is expected to take three days. With information from Caroline Plante of The Canadian Press This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Oct. 20, 2026.
