Montreal

CAQ candidate wins Philippe Couillard's old seat in Roberval byelection

Voters in the riding of Roberval decided Monday to will replace former premier Philippe Couillard's seat at the National Assembly with Coalition Avenir Québec's Nancy Guillemette.

Voters decide to replace the former premier with Nancy Guillemette on Monday

Coalition Avenir Québec's Nancy Guillemette took the Roberval seat Monday. (Radio-Canada)

Voters in the riding of Roberval decided Monday to give former Liberal premier Philippe Couillard's seat at the National Assembly to Coalition Avenir Québec's Nancy Guillemette.

Couillard announced he was leaving politics following the Liberals' major defeat by François Legault's CAQ.

Liberal candidate William Laroche looked to hold on to the seat, held by Couillard since 2014, but it was Guillemette who managed to increase the party's majority at the National Assembly by nabbing 55 per cent of the vote.

A total of seven candidates ran in the byelection in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region.

Guillemette is the director-general of Santé mentale Québec/Lac-Saint-Jean and a former Roberval city councillor. 

Quebec Liberal Leader Philippe Couillard stepped down after the Liberals were ousted by the CAQ on Oct. 1. (Jacques Boissinot/Canadian Press)

With files from La Presse Canadienne