Three reasons why Jean Charest lost the Quebec election

Pauline Marois and the Parti Quebecois didn't win the Quebec election, Jean Charest's Liberals lost it.

Over the past year, there have been seven provincial elections across the country. In each case, but one, the incumbant party was the victor.

The exception is Jean Charest's Liberals.

Here are three specific reasons why Charest blew it, letting the sovereignist PQ win while inflicting the rest of the country with separation anxiety:

Corruption:

One of the key issues in this campaign was ethics and the corruption allegations laid against his Liberal government.

According to the Canadian Press, Charest spent much of the last two years snubbing public opinion by refusing to call an inquiry, arguing that police probes and tougher laws were sufficient to deal with mounting evidence about collusion in the construction industry.

He finally gave in, calling a public inquiry last November, but the damage to his popularity had already been done.

The economy:

Nationwide — even worldwide — the number one ballot box issue in any election these days is the economy.

When it comes to Quebec's economic performance, Charest has some wins including relatively low unemployment rate and Plan Nord, his "legacy project" which sets out $80 billion in public and private investments in the North.

But he also has some shortcomings that didn't sit well with Quebecers.

Here are some of those as chronicled by the National Post:

The electorate wanted change, he didn't provide it:

Most pundits are suggesting the main reason Charest lost is simply because the electorate wanted change.

"[The driver for voters] is change and it's being tired of Jean Charest," Marie Vastel of Le Devoir said on CBC's Power and Politics.

"I think there is a big tiredness of Jean Charest in Quebec right now because Pauline Marois didn't have a very good campaign. She didn't do so well even up to the election she wasn't that popular..even [with] her own party."

Certainly, Charest, as the incumbent, can't really morph into a new being but at the same time he didn't provide voters with any new, refreshing or exciting ideas.

There was no grand plan or vision for the province of Quebec.