Montreal's Mayor Tremblay Could Face Coalition In The Next Election

Montreal City Hall

From The Montreal Gazette:

Montreal city council's two opposition parties are considering forming a common front in next year's municipal election, a deal that could change the dynamic of local politics.

Benoît Labonté, the leader of the larger of the two parties, Vision Montreal, told me: "I am very, very open" to an "entente."

Richard Bergeron, head of Projet Montréal, said he would welcome a "coalition." Both say their discussions are still informal.

During the 2005 mayoral election, Vision Montreal and then-leader Pierre Bourque received 36 per cent of votes. Bergeron and his party won nine per cent, as Mayor Gérald Tremblay breezed to re-election with 54 per cent.

However, two by-elections in the past year suggest the strength of the opposition is growing. In a contest in Outremont last December, the ruling party's candidate won, but the combined percentage of votes for the two opposition candidates was 52 per cent.

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