Duceppe announces return to Bloc Québécois leadership

Gilles Duceppe has confirmed he is returning to lead the Bloc Québécois into the next federal election, taking over from current leader Mario Beaulieu.
“I realized after nine months of hard work that we needed to breathe new life into the Bloc campaign,” Beaulieu said.
“So I asked Gilles Duceppe to return to the scene and once again become leader of the Bloc Québécois.”
Duceppe said his first reflex was to refuse the offer, but Beaulieu’s humility moved him.
“It took a lot of courage to make that decision. What convinced me above all to return was this will to bring people together,” he said.
It’s a stunning about-face for Duceppe and for the party he led for almost 15 years, and an apparent admission from Beaulieu that his attempt to revitalize the Bloc by hardening its stance on sovereignty has failed.
Duceppe resigned as Bloc leader after the 2011 election, which saw the party go from 49 seats to four.