Agadir – Three politicians of Moroccan origin have secured seats in Quebec’s National Assembly following the province’s October 5 provincial election in Canada, as the Parti Québécois (PQ) returned to power after more than a decade.
Monsef Derraji, Nada Boumeftah, and Valérie Assouline, all candidates for the Quebec Liberal Party, won their respective electoral districts in the election, according to preliminary election results and reports from Quebec media.
Their election came as the PQ won 59 of the National Assembly’s 127 seats, falling five short of the 64 seats required for a majority. This means the party will form a minority government under leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon. The PQ secured 27.9% of the vote, the lowest vote share for a winning party in Quebec’s electoral history, Reuters reported on Monday.
The Associated Press also reported that the PQ won the election but would need support from opposition parties to govern, while the incumbent Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) lost all 79 seats it held when the election was called.
Derraji retains Nelligan seat
Monsef Derraji, who was born in Morocco, secured another term representing Nelligan for the Quebec Liberal Party.
Derraji first entered Quebec’s National Assembly in 2018 and was seeking a third mandate in the October 5 election. The Quebec Liberal Party had identified him as its candidate in Nelligan, where he previously served as an opposition critic on health and transport issues.
Election coverage listed Derraji among the winners in Nelligan, allowing him to retain his seat as the PQ emerged as the largest party in the province.
Boumeftah wins Maurice-Richard
Nada Boumeftah, a Quebec Liberal candidate in Montreal’s Maurice-Richard riding, also won a seat in the National Assembly.
The Quebec Liberal Party describes Boumeftah as a Quebecer of Moroccan origin and a lawyer specializing in criminal law, penal law, and youth protection. She founded her own law firm in 2016 and has also worked as a legal commentator.
Boumeftah defeated Québec Solidaire candidate Anne Latendresse in a closely contested race; she entered the National Assembly for the first time after the October 5 vote.
Assouline elected in Saint-Laurent
Valérie Assouline also won the Saint-Laurent riding for the Quebec Liberal Party.
Assouline is a lawyer who specializes in family and youth law. Before entering provincial politics, she served as bâtonnière of the Montreal Bar for 2025-2026 and sat as a municipal councillor in Dollard-des-Ormeaux.
She succeeded former Liberal MNA Marwah Rizqy in Saint-Laurent after securing the riding in the October 5 election. Quebec election coverage listed Assouline among the successful Liberal candidates.
The three victories add to the presence of politicians with Moroccan roots in Quebec’s provincial institutions.
