A judicial recount has been approved by a Quebec court judge for the Champlain riding. Conservative candidate Adriana Szalontai secured victory in the Mauricie region by a margin of 191 votes over the Parti Québécois candidate, René Branchaud on October 5.
Branchaud initiated the request for a judicial recount last week, citing irregularities and alleged procedural errors in the election process. The recount was not automatic due to the margin of victory exceeding the necessary threshold.
Despite this, the Parti Québécois argued that potential errors or inaccuracies could have influenced the rejection of certain ballots. In a ruling delivered on Tuesday, Judge Éric Martel has mandated the recount to commence on Thursday at the Trois-Rivières courthouse.
According to a spokesperson from Élections Québec, a recount must start within four business days of a court ruling. Concurrently, a recount has also commenced in the Vachon riding in the Montérégie region at the Longueuil courthouse. In Vachon, Quebec Liberal Party’s Affine Lwalalika secured 10,063 votes, narrowly edging out the PQ candidate Stephan Fogaing by a mere 10 votes, as reported by Élections Québec.