MONTREAL, March 27 (UPI) -- Quebec separatists lost ground in a provincial election that gave incumbent Liberals a minority government and a center-right party reached opposition status.
Liberal Premier Jean Charest's party lost 26 seats, but held on to 48 seats, in the 125-seat National Assembly in Quebec City.
The Action Democratique du Quebec, or ADQ, led by 36-year-old Mario Dumont became the opposition by winning 41 seats, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported Tuesday.
The separatist Parti Quebecois logged less than 30 percent of the popular vote for the first time since 1970, winning 36 seats.
The ADQ also has separatist aspirations, but has distanced itself from the Parti Quebecois and refused to form an alliance to conduct a referendum, the Globe and Mail said.
The results are a loss of 24 seats for the Liberals, a gain of 35 for the ADQ and a loss of nine seats for the Parti Quebecois. The last time Quebec had a minority government was in 1878.
Some 5.6 million Quebeckers were eligible to vote, and elections officials said 71 percent of eligible voters cast ballots, up 4 percent from the last election.
