Vronique Hivon quits Parti Qubcois leadership race for health reasons

Vronique Hivon is ending her bid to become the next leader of the Parti Qubcois due to health reasons, a campaign spokeswomansaid Friday.

Hivonis dealing withlabyrinthitis, which is an inflammation of the inner ear that can cause vertigo,Pascale Svigny said in a statement.

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She had been ordered by a doctor to rest for four weeks and so decided to drop out of the race.

Hivon was considered one ofthe frontrunnersfor the job.

AlexandreCloutier,Jean-FranoisLise, MartineOuellet andPaul St-Pierre Plamondonare the candidates still in the running.

Hivonsaid she wants to stay neutral and won't be endorsing any of her former rivals.

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Hivon is a'key player'

Cloutier, who is a friend of Hivon's, said he knew how badly she wanted to win the top job.

"Vronique is a key player, a star player of the Parti Qubecois, so all I want now is for her to come back healthy," he said in an interview with Radio-Canada.

Ouelletsaid for Hivon, doing politics differently is more than a catchphrase.

"The contributions she madewill live on. We need Vroniquefor Quebec, for independence, and the ideas she had will be developed," she said.

Lise sent Hivon a tweet Friday afternoon acknowledging how hard it must be for her to drop out given what she invested in the race.

The PQ will select its new leader Oct. 7.