The Quebec Liberal Party (PLQ) candidate defeated in Vachon, on Montreal’s South Shore, following a judicial recount has spoken out for the first time since the results were announced. In a Facebook post, Affine Lwalalika called for the respect for every citizen’s right to vote, challenging the court’s decision to award victory to her opponent, Parti Québécois (PQ) candidate Stephan Fogaing. He was declared defeated by 10 votes on election night, Oct. 5. However, following a recount requested by the PQ last week, the decision was overturned in his favour by a margin of three votes. For its part, the PLQ said last week that it would be contesting the judge’s invalidation of certain ballots during the recount. In her post, Lwalalika argued that ballots deemed valid on election night were rejected during the judicial recount because one or more pencil marks appeared outside the designated circle. She insisted that the voter’s intent was unequivocal, and the ballots should be declared valid following a new judicial recount. This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Oct. 26, 2026.
