Just 18 votes shy of victory, the Liberals request a recount on the Magdalen Islands - Action News
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Montreal

Just 18 votes shy of victory, the Liberals request a recount on the Magdalen Islands

The Parti Qubcois defeated the Liberals on the Magdalen Islands, and in Gasp, the Liberals beat the PQ by 132 votes. Recounts are being sought in both ridings.

PQ, in turn, seeks recount in Gasp, where Liberal's Alexandre Boulay won by 132 votes

Under Quebec electoral law, a party can request a recount if the number of votes between two parties is less than 1/1000 of the ballots cast, or if a person or party has 'a reasonable motive' to believe the final count was inaccurate. (Martin Thibault/Radio-Canada)

The outcome of the Oct. 1 election could still shift in eastern Quebec.

The Parti Qubcoishas filed arequestin Quebec courtseekinga recount in the Gasp riding, where its candidate Mganne Perry Mlanonlost to the Liberal'sAlexandre Boulay by 132 votes.

The PQ wants the ballots at polling station 61 to be recounted.

The party said at thatpolling station, Boulaygarnered 194 votes, and not a single one went tothe PQ, Coalition AvenirQubecorQubec Solidaire. Four ballots were rejected.

The party's lawyers said this doesn't match up with information party officials gathered on the ground.

Several citizens, as well as members of the PQ riding associationin Gasp, confirmed they voted for the PQ at that polling station, the PQ said.

The party is expecting to get a response from a judge next week.

If thePartiQubcoiswins the seat on a recount, the party would have 10seats at the National Assembly, the same number as Qubec Solidaire.

It would still fall short of the 12 seatsor 20 per cent of the popular vote needed to regain official party status.

The PQ's Jol Arseneau won the les-de-la-Madeleine riding, beating Liberal candidate Maryse Lapierre by 18 votes. (Radio-Canada)

The two parties are also battling for the ridingofles-de-la-Madeleine.

The PQ's Jol Arseneauwon the election by a margin of 18 votes, ahead of Maryse Lapierre, the Liberal candidate.

Lapierrefiled a request for a recount on Thursday morning in Havre-Aubert.

Lapierre'scampaign director, Guylain Cyr, said 152 ballots in the riding were rejectedout of a total of 7,796 "an abnormally high number," she said.

Ballot boxes also went missing for two hours after polls closed, Cyrsaid in herrequest to the court, obtained by Radio-Canada.

A poll clerk also testified under oath that her colleagues were "more or less focused on the task at hand," and were also "careless" during the ballot count for the advancepolls.

A judge will hear thatrequest on Friday morningin Havre-Aubert.

Coalition Avenir Qubecsaid it is still considering whether it will ask for a recount in Duplessis, on Quebec'sNorth Shore, where the PQ's Lorraine Richard was re-elected with 126 more votes than CAQcandidate Line Cloutier.

With files from Radio-Canada