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It marks the first time the PQ has been in power since 2014, with Paul St-Pierre Plamondon set to become the province's new leader.

In his victory speech, St-Pierre Plamondon again raised his independence plans but vowed to be "the premier of everyone in Quebec".

The result could prove a fresh test for Prime Minister Mark Carney, also setting up confrontations with Québec over issues like immigration and the monarchy.

In its effort to achieve independence, the PQ has pledged to hold a referendum on separating from the rest of Canada.

The majority French-speaking province has held other votes on this, in 1980 and 1995. On both occasions, the independence movement was defeated. Polls indicate only about 30% of Quebecers back such a move this time.

St-Pierre Plamondon has previously said the vote would occur after President Donald Trump is out of office south of the border in the United States, explaining that would require "conditions that allow for an informed and serene debate". The US and Canada are in a trade war as a result of Trump's programme of tariffs.

In his victory speech after Monday's election results, St-Pierre Plamondon said of the potential referendum: "Our national destiny will be achieved one day."

The PQ leader will need to secure the support of rival parties to get the vote he wants, potentially from Québec Solidaire, a left-leaning sovereignist party that won nine seats.

Quebec Liberal Leader Charles Milliard said his party, which won 40 seats, is prepared to support the PQ on a number of issues, but "there is no way we will collaborate on a potential referendum".

Despite winning the most amount of seats of any party, the PQ's share of the popular vote is only 28%.

With most votes counted on Tuesday morning, the party was set to win fewer than the 64 seats needed to command a majority in the province's assembly, according to projections from Canadian media.

The Liberals - the provincial party with links to Carney's federal Liberals - are projected to have increased their number of seats in the assembly, as have the Conservatives.

All parties benefited from the collapse of the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ), which was previously the province's governing party but is not projected to have won a single seat this time.

Carney congratulated Plamondon, saying he looked forward to working with the new provincial leader, adding: "Building a stronger Quebec is at the heart of our mission to build a stronger Canada."

Carney may find himself managing dual unity crises in different parts of the country, depending on the outcome of a vote in Alberta on whether to have a referendum of its own.

Trump is due to leave office in just over two years, meaning that if Plamondon is able to enact his pledge, a third vote on independence would likely be scheduled for 2029 or 2030.

Monday's result is in part due to public fatigue with the previous CAQ government.

The party made the issue of safeguarding Quebec's identity and language central to its eight years in office, but its long-time leader, François Legault, eventually lost significant support among voters.

Efforts to revive the party by replacing Legault with a new leader, outgoing Premier Christine Fréchette, were unsuccessful.

Fréchette conceded her own re-election race in Trois-Rivières shortly before 22:00 local time. She said in a speech that she would work with St-Pierre Plamondon on the transition.

"Governing Quebec is the greatest honour I have ever had," she said. "I have Quebec tattooed on my heart."

The Quebec Liberal Party secured the second-most seats, while the Quebec Conservative Party gained seats.

Prime Minister Carney remains popular in Quebec, though support for him had recently dipped, external as US President Donald Trump imposed new tariffs on Canada in August, following a breakdown in trade talks.

Quebec is among the hardest hit by the latest US tariffs, with experts at global forecasting firm Oxford Economics projecting a C$2bn blow for the province.