1985 Parti Québécois leadership election

September 2023 1985 Parti Québécois leadership election Quebec presidential no 1968 Parti Québécois leadership election 1968 1988 Parti Québécois leadership election 1988 29 September 1985 First Ballot Second Ballot Percentage Votes 150x150px QC PQ nohash Pierre-Marc Johnson 56,925 58.7% 150x150px QC PQ nohash Pauline Marois 19,471 19.7% 150x150px QC PQ nohash Jean Garon 15,730 16.2% Leader René Lévesque Pierre-Marc Johnson Parti Québécois QC PQ 1985 September 29, 1985 René Lévesque Pierre-Marc Johnson 1 6 The Parti Québécois leadership election of 1985 was held to elect a new leader of the Parti Québécois, the main sovereigntist and social democratic political party in Quebec, Canada. It elected Pierre-Marc Johnson at the helm of the party. It was conducted under the one member, one vote universal suffrage system, making the Parti Québécois the first political party to do so in Quebec history. It was the first race of its kind in the history of the party, created in 1968, and would be followed by the leadership election of 2005. History The election was caused by the departure of founder René Lévesque, and was conducted while the party was in power. With Pierre-Marc Johnson elected, he would assume premiership from October to December 1985. Johnson afterwards played the role of Leader of the Opposition until 1987. The election finds its historical importance in the fact that, in the first era of said "Post-Referendum Syndrome", the election of Pierre-Marc Johnson secured the party's past decision of putting the independence project, the first raison d'être of the PQ, on the back burner. This decision had caused a crisis within party ranks, which was influential in the departure of René Lévesque. This party stance of affirmation nationale (Johnson's approach of nationalism without actively pursuing the objective of sovereignty) would last until the ousting of Johnson and the arrival of Jacques Parizeau as leader in 1988. It was the first attempt of Pauline Marois for the leadership, one that she would repeat at the leadership election of 2005. Bernard Landry, future leader from 2001 to 2005, also entered the race of 1985, only to drop out midway. During his campaign, Landry had presented himself as a "sovereigntist and progressive" candidate and, during his campaign, given signs that, if elected leader, he could rescind the party decision of putting sovereignty on hold. Guy Bertrand's campaign tended to represent the sovereigntist pur et dur stream of the party, clashing with his later ideological shift. Candidates Guy Bertrand Luc Gagnon Jean Garon Pierre-Marc Johnson Francine Lalonde Bernard Landry (withdrew) Pauline Marois Results Candidate Votes PercentagePierre-Marc Johnson 56,925 58.7%Pauline Marois 19,471 19.7%Jean Garon 15,730 16.2%Guy Bertrand 2,733 2.8%Francine Lalonde 1,484 1.5%Luc Gagnon 1,046 1.1%Totals 96,974* 100.0% First ballot #ddd 600px 410px Johnson QC PQ 58.70 Marois QC PQ 19.66 Garon QC PQ 16.22 Bertrand QC PQ 2.81 Lalonde QC PQ 1.53 Gagnon QC PQ 1.08 See also 2005 Parti Québécois leadership election 2007 Parti Québécois leadership election History of Quebec Politics of Quebec Quebec sovereignty movement References Petite leçon d'histoire from Le Devoir Élection de Pierre Marc Johnson on the Bilan du siècle website of the Université de Sherbrooke External links Official Parti Québécois website Category:1985 elections in Canada Category:1985 in Quebec 1985 Parti Québécois leadership election Category:September 1985 in Canada