1962 Quebec general election

The 1962 Quebec general election was held on November 14, 1962, to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Quebec, Canada. The incumbent Quebec Liberal Party, led by Jean Lesage, was re-elected, defeating the Union Nationale (UN) led by Daniel Johnson, Sr..

1962 Quebec general election
November 14, 1962
95 seats in the 27th Legislative Assembly of Quebec
48 seats were needed for a majority
  First party Second party
 
Leader Jean Lesage Daniel Johnson Sr.
Party Liberal Union Nationale
Leader since May 31, 1958 September 23, 1961
Leader's seat Québec-Ouest Bagot
Last election 51 seats, 51.38% 43 seats, 46.61%
Seats won 63 31
Seat change 12 12
Popular vote 1,205,253 900,817
Percentage 56.40% 42.15%
Swing 5.02% 4.46%
Premier before election

Jean Lesage
Liberal

 Premier after election

Jean Lesage
Liberal

In an unusual move, the election was called just two years after the previous 1960 general election. Lesage sought a mandate for the nationalization of the electricity industry, with the slogan Maîtres chez nous (Masters in Our Own Home), declaring it a single issue important enough to stake his political career on it.

A few days before the election, the Union Nationale's chief organizer André Lagarde was arrested for fraud. The Liberals claimed this was proof of lingering corruption dating from the Maurice Duplessis era, but the UN cried foul and was vindicated after the election. However, the incident may well have contributed to the UN's defeat.

The Liberal Party won an increased number of seats and a higher percentage of the popular vote, and the nationalization program was carried out. Future Parti Québécois founder René Lévesque served as a cabinet minister in the Lesage government and spearheaded the nationalization of power utilities for a great expansion of Hydro-Québec.

Results
Party Party leader # of
candidates		 Seats Popular vote
1960 Elected % Change # % % Change
Liberal Jean Lesage 97 51 63 +23.5% 1,205,253 56.40% +5.0%
Union Nationale Daniel Johnson, Sr. 95 43 31 -27.9% 900,817 42.15% -4.5%
     Other 32 1 1 - 30,897 1.45% -0.6%
Total 224 95 95 - 2,136,967 100%  
Popular vote
PLQ
 
 56.40%
UN
 
 42.15%
Others
 
 1.45%
Seats summary
PLQ
 
 66.32%
UN
 
 32.63%
Others
 
 1.05%

See also
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