Justin Trudeau resigns as Canada’s prime minister

He planned to stay on as prime minister until a new leader of the Liberal Party is chosen

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his resignation on Monday in the face of rising discontent over his leadership, and after the abrupt departure of his finance minister signalled growing turmoil within his government.

Trudeau said it had become clear to him that he cannot “be the leader during the next elections due to internal battles”. He planned to stay on as prime minister until a new leader of the Liberal Party is chosen.

“I don’t easily back down faced with a fight, especially a very important one for our party and the country. But I do this job because the interests of Canadians and the well being of democracy is something that I hold dear,” he said.

An official familiar with the matter said Parliament, which had been due to resume Jan 27, will be suspended until March 24. The timing will allow for a Liberal Party leadership race. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak about the matter publicly.

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