Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that he intends to step down as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada (LPC), which he has led since 2013, but that he will not resign until his successor is chosen, Reuters reported.
Trudeau is under intense pressure from LPC lawmakers who are demanding that he step down amid the party's poor performance in recent opinion polls. Polls show that the LPC is expected to lose the next parliamentary election. The Canadian prime minister said at a press conference that parliament will not sit until March.
The winter recess of lawmakers ends on January 27. Opposition parties have threatened to topple Trudeau's government as soon as possible, possibly as early as the end of March. But if the legislature does not resume by March 24, the opposition could file a no-confidence motion in May at the earliest.
Trudeau will also still be prime minister on January 20, when U.S. President-elect Donald Trump takes office. Trump has threatened to impose tariffs that would severely impact Canada's economy.
Trudeau, now 53, took office as prime minister in November 2015 and has been re-elected twice. This makes him Canada's longest-serving prime minister. However, his popularity began to decline two years ago due to public discontent with high prices and a shortage of housing, and his rating has never recovered to its previous levels.
Poll data indicate that the Liberals will suffer a heavy defeat by the Conservatives in the parliamentary elections, which are due by the end of October.