MONTREAL - The latest figures suggest the Charest Liberals are the most popular party with Quebecers right now.
A CROP-La Presse poll shows the Liberals leading at 30 per cent, followed closely by the Parti Quebecois at 28 percent, and the CAQ at 25 per cent.
Even if the numbers aren't ideal, Premier Jean Charest must call an election sometime between this spring and the end of 2013.
And if he waits too long, the election campaign could overlap with the corruption inquiry set to begin its public hearings next fall, one
that is expected to place some of his party organizers on the hot seat.
This could be the best time for the Liberals.
After a rough stretch over the planned tuition hikes, there may finally be signs of a resolution, with Education Minister Line Beauchamp inviting student leaders to sit and talk.
"I've been listening," Beauchamp said. "I've heard each position, each proposition."
Meanwhile, CAQ leader Francois Legault is clearly in campaign mode.
At a party meeting last weekend, his party members voted on nearly 60 resolutions, solidifying the party's platform. Legault also introduced seven new candidates.
"With the congress we had last weekend, we are ready for an election and if it happens within the next few days, we'll be ready," he said.
The PQ, for its part, is re-organizing its schedule. The party was supposed to hold a convention this coming weekend. But the gathering was postponed until the following weekend to coincide with the Liberals convention, in case there's a call to the polls.
While the latest poll shows the Liberals leading for the first time in months, the government won't comment on election speculation or the PQ's 11 point drop in the polls since December.
"Sorry, I don't have all the answers," said Justice Minister Jean-Marc Fournier. "I don't know why they gain one month and lose in another month. I don't know."
