Quebec general election, 1973
Encyclopedia
The Quebec general election of 1973 was held on October 29, 1973 to elect members to National Assembly
of Quebec
, Canada
. The incumbent Quebec Liberal Party, led by Robert Bourassa
, won re-election, defeating the Parti Québécois
, led by René Lévesque
, and the Union Nationale (UN).
The Liberals won a large majority of the seats (102 out of 110). The Union Nationale, which had held power up until the previous 1970 general election
, was wiped off the electoral map, winning no seats. However, UN candidate Maurice Bellemare
later won a seat in a 1974 by-election
. The Parti Québécois held its own, dropping only one seat (from seven to six), and despite having fewer seats, became the official Opposition although PQ leader René Lévesque
failed to re-gain his seat in the Assembly.
The popular vote was not as lopsided as the distribution of seats would indicate. The Parti Québécois, for instance, won 30% of the popular vote, a significant improvement over their previous showing of 23% in the 1970 election.
National Assembly of Quebec
The National Assembly of Quebec is the legislative body of the Province of Quebec. The Lieutenant Governor and the National Assembly compose the Parliament of Quebec, which operates in a fashion similar to those of other British-style parliamentary systems.The National Assembly was formerly the...
of Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The incumbent Quebec Liberal Party, led by Robert Bourassa
Robert Bourassa
Jean-Robert Bourassa, was a politician in Quebec, Canada. He served as the 22nd Premier of Quebec in two different mandates, first from May 12, 1970, to November 25, 1976, and then from December 12, 1985, to January 11, 1994, serving a total of just under 15 years as Provincial Premier.-Early...
, won re-election, defeating the Parti Québécois
Parti Québécois
The Parti Québécois is a centre-left political party that advocates national sovereignty for the province of Quebec and secession from Canada. The Party traditionally has support from the labour movement. Unlike many other social-democratic parties, its ties with the labour movement are informal...
, led by René Lévesque
René Lévesque
René Lévesque was a reporter, a minister of the government of Quebec, , the founder of the Parti Québécois political party and the 23rd Premier of Quebec...
, and the Union Nationale (UN).
The Liberals won a large majority of the seats (102 out of 110). The Union Nationale, which had held power up until the previous 1970 general election
Quebec general election, 1970
The Quebec general election of 1970 was held on April 29, 1970 to elect members of the National Assembly of Quebec, Canada. The former Legislative Assembly had been renamed the "National Assembly" in 1968...
, was wiped off the electoral map, winning no seats. However, UN candidate Maurice Bellemare
Maurice Bellemare
Maurice Bellemare, OC was a politician in Quebec, Canada. He was known as Le Vieux Lion de la Politique Québécoise because of his colourful style and his many years of public office...
later won a seat in a 1974 by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
. The Parti Québécois held its own, dropping only one seat (from seven to six), and despite having fewer seats, became the official Opposition although PQ leader René Lévesque
René Lévesque
René Lévesque was a reporter, a minister of the government of Quebec, , the founder of the Parti Québécois political party and the 23rd Premier of Quebec...
failed to re-gain his seat in the Assembly.
The popular vote was not as lopsided as the distribution of seats would indicate. The Parti Québécois, for instance, won 30% of the popular vote, a significant improvement over their previous showing of 23% in the 1970 election.
Results
| Party | Party leader | # of candidates |
Seats | Popular vote | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 Quebec general election, 1970 The Quebec general election of 1970 was held on April 29, 1970 to elect members of the National Assembly of Quebec, Canada. The former Legislative Assembly had been renamed the "National Assembly" in 1968... |
Elected | % Change | # | % | % Change |
Liberal | Robert Bourassa Robert Bourassa Jean-Robert Bourassa, was a politician in Quebec, Canada. He served as the 22nd Premier of Quebec in two different mandates, first from May 12, 1970, to November 25, 1976, and then from December 12, 1985, to January 11, 1994, serving a total of just under 15 years as Provincial Premier.-Early... |
72 | 102 | +41.7% | 1,623,734 | 54.65% | +9.3% |
Parti Québécois Parti Québécois The Parti Québécois is a centre-left political party that advocates national sovereignty for the province of Quebec and secession from Canada. The Party traditionally has support from the labour movement. Unlike many other social-democratic parties, its ties with the labour movement are informal... |
René Lévesque René Lévesque René Lévesque was a reporter, a minister of the government of Quebec, , the founder of the Parti Québécois political party and the 23rd Premier of Quebec... |
7 | 6 | -14.3% | 897,809 | 30.22% | +7.2% |
Parti créditiste Ralliement créditiste du Québec The Ralliement créditiste du Québec was a provincial political party in Quebec, Canada that operated from 1970 to 1978. It promoted social credit theories of monetary reform, and acted as an outlet for the expression of rural... |
12 | 2 | -83.8% | 294,706 | 9.92% | -1.3% |
Union Nationale | Gabriel Loubier Gabriel Loubier Gabriel Loubier was a politician in Quebec, Canada. He served as leader of the Union Nationale party from 1971 to 1974, and as Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly of Quebec from 1971 to 1973.... |
17 | - | -100% | 146,209 | 4.92% | -14.7% |
Other | - | - | - | 8,520 | 0.29% | -0.4% | |||||||
| Total | 108 | 110 | - | 2,970,978 | 100% | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
See also
- List of Quebec premiers
- Politics of QuebecPolitics of QuebecThe politics of Quebec are centred on a provincial government resembling that of the other Canadian provinces, namely a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy. The capital of the province is Quebec City, where the Lieutenant Governor, Premier, the legislature, and cabinet reside.The...
- Timeline of Quebec historyTimeline of Quebec historyThis article presents a detailed timeline of Quebec history. Events taking place outside Quebec, for example in English Canada, the United States, Britain or France, may be included when they are considered to have had a significant impact on Quebec's history....
- List of Quebec political parties
- 30th National Assembly of Quebec30th National Assembly of QuebecThe 30th National Assembly of Quebec is the provincial legislature in Quebec, Canada that existed between October 29, 1973 and November 15, 1976...