Sylvain Gaudreault chosen Parti Québécois' interim leader

Sylvain Gaudreault has been chosen as the interim leader of the Parti Québécois, following Pierre Karl Péladeau's sudden resignation earlier this week. 

The announcement was made after a caucus meeting in a Quebec City hotel that lasted several hours.

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"It is with a lot of pride, but also a great sense of responsibility that I accept this important mandate that was entrusted to me by my colleagues," Gaudreault said.  

Gaudreault, former transportation minister and current MNA for Jonquière, was vying for the interim position with ​current PQ deputy house leader Agnès Maltais.

He is expected to take part in a meeting Friday night with party officials to discuss details of how a permanent successor to Péladeau will be chosen. 

Secret talks

Heading into the caucus meeting, several MNA were still in shock over Péladeau's surprise announcement on Monday that he was stepping down for family reasons. 

"We're still shocked … it's difficult to believe what happened on Monday," PQ house leader Bernard Drainville said.

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"We've been through ups and downs and we've always come out of it and we've been able to maintain our cohesiveness as a group, our efficiency as a group."

The caucus meeting was the first time PQ MNAs had met together since finding themselves leaderless. 

With rumours of an internal riff emerging over who would take up the interim leadership, MNAs were asked to leave their smart phones at the door, in order to keep the discussions confidential.

Race for top job

Meanwhile, the more important decision, who will lead the party into the next election, looms in the shadows.

On their way into today's meeting at the hotel Le Bonne Entente in Quebec City, most MNAs expressed a desire for a shorter leadership race, as opposed to the long one they recently endured, or a coronation, which many feel would be undemocratic.

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MNAs Véronique Hivon and Alexandre Cloutier appear to be top contenders for the position.

Cloutier told reporters on Friday that he had made his decision, but would wait before making it public. 

Jean-Francois Lisée and Martine Ouellet have confirmed they are thinking about jumping in too.

Bernard Drainville confirmed Friday afternoon that he will not running for the leadership.