The separatist Parti Quebecois won Quebec’s provincial election on Monday but fell short of a majority, returning to power with a promise to hold another independence referendum. It is the party’s first win in more than a decade.

The PQ took 59 of the 127 seats in the National Assembly, five short of the 64 needed for a majority. Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon will form a minority government and need opposition support to pass laws.

The Liberals won 40 seats and the Conservatives 19. The outgoing Coalition Avenir Quebec, in power since 2018, lost every seat. The PQ received 28 per cent of the vote, with turnout at nearly 67 per cent.

St-Pierre Plamondon has pledged to consult Quebecers on independence during his first term. He said he would wait until US President Donald Trump leaves office, meaning no vote before January 2029. Support for independence stands at about 30 per cent, low by historical standards.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney congratulated the winner and said Ottawa would work with the new government. Quebec last voted on independence in 1995, when voters rejected it by a narrow margin.