MONTREAL (CBC) - The struggling Action Démocratique du Quebec Party has lost two of its MNAs, including a challenger who was narrowly defeated in the party's leadership race last month.

La Peltrie MNA Éric Caire and Chutes-de-la-Chaudière Marc Pelletier announced on Friday they were quitting the party, saying they could not support its new leader, Gilles Taillon.

The move, which means the party has lost one-third of its six-member caucus, comes as the president of the Action Démocratique (ADQ), Mario Charpentier, admitted he had financially supported Taillon during the leadership race.

Caire lost his bid to replace Mario Dumont as party leader to Taillon by only two votes.

He said Taillon is guiding the party too far away from its core, center-right values.

Caire, who has held his seat since 2007 and worked with the party for a decade, said his decision to leave was a tough one.

But it is no longer the party I joined and in my spirit and conscience, I cannot stay, he said.

Caire and Picard said they would continue to sit as independents in the national assembly.

Caire said he did not believe his decision could mean one more nail in the coffin for the ADQ.

"I think that the future of the ADQ depends on the leader of the [party]," Caire said.

Two of the party's former MNAs are expressing their support for Caire and Picard. Richard Merlini and Francois Benjamin attended their news conference at the national assembly.

Former leader Mario Dumont resigned following the partys disastrous results in the Dec. 8 2008 election which was the party go from holding 41 seats to just seven.

But the ADQ leader's right-hand man, François Bonnardel, insisted Friday that Caire had refused the roles offered to him.

Bonnardel said the ADQ continues to be recognized with official-party status, will keep its parliamentary budget and will continue fighting for the policies it believes in.

But he admitted that the departure of two "friends" was painful for the party.

"I'm very disappointed," Bonnardel said.

"Let's not kid ourselves we were stunned."

A prominent political commentator predicted a dark, brief future for the ADQ. He also criticized its leader for failing to keep the party united.

"This smells like the end of the ADQ," Jean Lapierre told LCN network.

"This is a lamentable failure for Mr. Taillon. He was already the leader of nothing. Now, he's the leader of less than nothing."