Marvin Rotrand to lead Coalition Montral

City councillor Marvin Rotrand has been elected as the interim leader of the Opposition partyCoalition Montral.

He replaces Benoit Dorais,who quit the party earlier this week and will sit as an independent. Dorais said he hasno intention of joining another party in the near future.

• Benoit Dorais quits Coalition Montral to sit as independent
• Russell Copeman joins Denis Coderre's team

Coalition Montral was founded by the late Marcel Ct, who ran for mayorin the last municipal election.

Six members of the party were elected in 2013. Of them:

• Leader and Southwest borough Mayor Benoit Doraisquit earlier this week.
• Cte-des-NeigesNtre-Dame-de-Grace borough Mayor Russell Copeman left to join Denis Coderre's team last month.
• City councillor Domenico Moschella died last year.

Rotrand, city councillorElsie Lefebvre and MercierHochelaga-Maisonneuve borough Mayor Ral Mnardare the three holdovers from the last election.

Rotrand says a convention will be held in May to decide on a strategy for next November'smunicipal election, adding that the city needs a third party.

"There's a lot of interest in Montreal about creating some sort of space between the two parties," said Rotrand. "And that's quipe Coderre and Projet Montral. A lot of Montrealersparticularly don't find themselves particularly comfortable with one or the other."

Rotrand has been a city councillor since 1982.