Gilles Taillon, former MNA for Chaveau, has succeeded Mario Dumont as the leader of the ADQ.
Taillon, 64, also served as deputy leader of the party and finance critic under Dumont.
He beat out Eric Caire, current MNA for La P�ltrie and Christian L�vesque, former MNA for the riding of L�vis.
Taillon decided to stay in the race although he considered dropping out last month after he learned he needed radiation therapy to fight prostate cancer.
The numbers
The results were announced in front of a crowd of about 300 party members Sunday afternoon in Quebec City.
Some 13,500 party members were eligible to vote in a telephone poll which began Friday.
The rate of participation was 30 percent.
The leadership race was a close one, with Taillon winning by a mere two votes.
Just over 50.03 percent of the ballots were cast in his favour.
Party background
Taillon is the third leader of the party, after Dumont and Jean Allaire.
Dumont took over the leadership of the party in 1994 after Allaire left for health reasons.
In March, after 14 years at the helm of the ADQ, Dumont decided to resign as leader and give up his provincial seat in Riviere-du-Loup.
He made the decision after the party suffered a crushing defeat in the last provincial election, in December 2008.
The ADQ lost its official opposition status in the National Assembly, winning only seven seats.
