Benoit Dorais quits Coalition Montral to sit as independent

Southwest borough mayor Benoit Doraiswill no longer be the leader of Coalition Montral and instead will sit as an independent city councillor.

Dorais became CoalitionMontral leader after the party's founder and leaderMarcelCtsuddenly died from a heart attack in May 2014.

Though several members of Coalition Montral have defectedin recent years, Dorais saidin a statement Mondaythat he hasno intention of joining another party in the near future.

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Coalition Montral, the second largest opposition party in Montreal, will not put forward a candidate for 2017's mayor race. In a statement, Dorais said he had no plans to run either way.

"This does not change mycommitment as mayor of the Southwest borough. On the contrary, I will be able to dedicate even more energy," the statement read.