Press TVFederalists have won a close election in French-speaking Quebec, dashing separatists' hopes of holding a referendum on breaking away from Canada. According to projections, Monday's elections left federalist Liberals with 45 seats in Quebec's 125-seat National Assembly, followed by the conservative Action Democratique du Quebec (ADQ) with 42 seats and the separatist Parti Quebecois with 38, public broadcaster Radio-Canada reported. At the start of the campaign in late February, analysts believed Liberal Premier Jean Charest would win a second term and stave off a plebiscite on Quebec independence for the next five years. But the separatist Parti Quebecois, which vowed to hold a referendum if it won the election, made great strides in the final stretch, and an unexpected surge in support for Democratique du Quebec (ADQ), which favors greater autonomy for Quebec but not independence, turned the contest into a three-way race. Losing his majority, Charest may now face pressure to resign as party leader. As well, a minority Liberal government leaves the door open to an early election and a possible vote on Quebec independence thereafter. Quebec unsuccessfully held referendums on seceding from Canada in 1980 and 1995.
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