Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau will resign after leading the country for nine years.
The 53-year-old has said he will quit as Liberal Party leader once his successor is chosen, after growing calls to step down from his MPs amid poor showings in opinion polls.
Announcing his decision on Monday, he said he “cannot be the best option” in the next election and that the parliament he is serving is “paralysed” under his leadership.
What happens now?
Mr Trudeau said: “I intend to resign as party leader as prime minister, after the party selects its next leader through a robust nationwide competitive process.”
The Liberals must now name an interim leader to take over as prime minister ahead of a special leadership convention.
That process could take months – but the pressure is on, because an election must be held in Canada by 20 October.
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As it stands, Mr Trudeau could still be in place when Donald Trump takes office in the US in two weeks – with the incoming president having threatened Canada with sweeping tariffs from his first day.
A snap election could be triggered sooner than October should the Canadian parliament pass a no-confidence measure to bring down his government.
But in his news conference, Mr Trudeau said he had met Canada’s governor general Mary Simon and asked her to prorogue parliament until 24 March, ending the current parliamentary session and giving his party time to find a new leader without the immediate threat of a no-confidence vote.
What led to Trudeau’s departure?
Justin Trudeau has led Canada’s Liberal Party since 2013, when the party was in deep trouble and had been reduced to third place in the House of Commons for the first time.
He has been prime minister since 2015.
But having won the last three general elections, polls show he has become increasingly unpopular over issues including immigration, the soaring cost of food and an acute housing shortage, leading to fears in his own party that he could not carry them to another victory.
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Justin Trudeau was once Canada’s golden boy – no more
Because Mr Trudeau’s Liberals do not hold an outright majority in parliament, they have for years relied on the support of the New Democratic Party (NDP) to pass legislation and stay in power.
But NDP leader Jagmeet Singh made clear last month the NDP would vote to bring down the government, and the two other opposition parties have said the same.
Mr Trudeau had been able to fend off Liberal legislators worried about the polls and the loss of safe seats in two special elections, but he has come under increased pressure since his finance minister Chrystia Freeland quit in December over a policy clash.
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Ms Freeland, one of his closest cabinet allies, had pushed back against his proposals for more spending.
When she quit, she penned a letter accusing Mr Trudeau of “political gimmicks” rather than focusing on what was best for the country.
Mr Trump’s threat to impose 25% tariffs on all products entering from Canada has piled yet more pressure on the Canadian government in recent weeks.
