Voting recount moves ahead on Magdalen Islands

A Quebec court judge has authorized a recount in theles-de-la-Madeleine riding, whereParti QubcoiscandidateJolArseneauwon by a margin of 18 votes, ahead of Liberal candidateMaryseLapierre.

Lapierrefiled a request for a recount on Thursday morning inHavre-Aubert.

In the request, Lapierre'scampaign director,GuylainCyr, 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.

The recountwill take place on Tuesday, Oct. 9, in Havre-Aubert.

Other possible recounts

CoalitionAvenirQubecsaid it is still considering whether it will ask for a recount inDuplessis, on Quebec'sNorth Shore, where thePQ'sLorraine Richard was re-elected with 126 more votes thanCAQcandidate LineCloutier.

Meanwhile the Parti Qubcoishas also filed arequest seekinga recount in the Gasp riding, where its candidate Mganne Perry Mlanonlost to the Liberal'sAlexandre Boulay by 132 votes.

• Get all the results of the Oct. 1 election

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.