¹ú²úÓÕ»ó¸£Àû

The 55-year-old follows in the footsteps of the Parti Québécois' Pauline Marois who was Quebec's first female premier from 2012 to 2014.

Fréchette, who positioned herself as a centrist economic candidate, defeated Bernard Drainville in the race to replace François Legault, who created the Coalition Avenir Québec in 2011 and had been premier since 2018.

The new premier says she will name a cabinet next week and intends to make at least one announcement in the coming days related to the cost of living. 

She now faces the task of boosting the fortunes of the CAQ, which is polling behind the Liberals, the PQ and the Conservatives ahead of the Oct. 5 election.

First elected in 2022 in the Sanguinet riding south of Montreal, Fréchette held the economy and immigration portfolios in Legault's cabinet. 

This report by ¹ú²úÓÕ»ó¸£Àû was first published April 15, 2026.