Sol Zanetti won the nomination of Quebec Solidaire in the Quebec City riding of Jean-Lesage earlier today. He will carry the party's banner in the provincial election in October.
The former head of Option Nationale has successfully cleared the hurdle a few months after the merger of his former political party with Quebec Solidaire last December.
Mr. Zanetti obtained more than 50 percent of support from the 150 or so people gathered on Saturday afternoon at Cégep de Limoilou for the nomination meeting. He beat the only other candidate in the running, Sébastien Bouchard, the same one who finished fourth in the 2014 general election in Jean-Lesage ahead of Sol Zanetti, who was then running in the seat as Option Nationale's leader.
The college teacher believes that the merger of the two parties will help the party win more voters. He was also pleased that Mr. Bouchard rallied to the will of Quebec Solidarity activists in Jean-Lesage.
The newly-minted QS candidate is a native of Quebec City and has lived in the riding for a decade. He now plans to door-knock across the electorate to endear himself to local voters. He says he has already seen disappointed Liberals looking to "shop around" and he believes he can convince them to vote for QS on October 1.