Real Menard, the Bloc MP for Hochelaga riding, announced Thursday that he's running in the next municipal election for the Vision Montreal party alongside fellow separatist Louise Harel.

Menard, 47, could find himself squaring off against former Vision Montreal councilor Claire Saint-Arnaud, who quit the opposition party to run for Gerald Tremblay's Union Montreal team.

Menard was first elected to Parliament for the Bloc in 1993 and has won five consecutive terms.

Harel made waves earlier this month when she agreed to run for mayor in November under the Vision Montreal banner while Benoit Labonte remains as leader of the opposition.

One in, two out

Meanwhile, a second prominent member of Vision Montreal has left the party over Harel's leadership in just three days.

This time it's downtown borough councilor Karim Boulos, who made a thinly-veiled reference to Harel's leadership.

"Recent changes in the leadership of Vision Montreal made me realize that I want to focus more on representing my constituents and less on municipal party politics," Boulos said in a statement issued Thursday.

Earlier this week party vice-president Oksana Kaluzny said she was leaving because Harel is a separatist.  Kaluzny also cited Harel's role as municipal affairs minister during the 2002 forced municipal mergers.