A third mandate for Michelle Courchesne

In all, 15,349 people supported the Minister of Education, Leisure and Sport, and Family Minister, representing 45.5% of the vote. The margin climbed to 2,924 from her 2007 plurality of 1,716. "It's a privilege to serve the people of Fabre. Although we can't be happy about the turn-out, our party and its leader, Jean Charest, did get the majority government we needed. We made several gains, some at the expense of the PQ," Mrs. Courchesne noted.

Current ADQ president Tom Pentefountas did not escape his party's widespread collapse, finishing third, far behind Mr. Rocque. In 2007, the ADQ finished second in Fabre, with 13,407 votes (31.98%), compared with a dismal total of 4,024 (11.93%) in 2008.

"It was a double disappointment. We were saddened by the announcement of the departure of our leader, Mario Dumont, who demonstrated responsibility as a great statesman. I'm proud of our campaign which focused on short-term solutions for families and the middle class," confided Mr. Pentefountas. A CTV report Friday morning indicated he had resigned as ADQ president.

François-Gycelin Rocque sees it this way: "I spent the first two weeks trying to convince people to vote. I feel like a boxer who loses on a technical knockout, with the problem of my delayed candidacy compounded by an opponent who not only holds a cabinet post but who's also frequently in the media limelight. (But) our results are encouraging. I truly want to thank the people who trusted me enough to vote for me."