Justin Trudeau announces intention to resign as Canada’s prime minister

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced that he is stepping down as leader of the ruling Liberal Party but will remain in office as head of government until the Liberals elect a new leader, the BBC reports.

Trudeau made the announcement in a morning press conference.

Canadian media sources said Trudeau decided to announce his resignation ahead of the Liberal Party’s national convention, which is scheduled for Wednesday. At this convention, the issue of re-electing the party’s leadership will be decided, and it is believed that Trudeau wanted to avoid a situation where party members would remove him from his leadership role.

Trudeau has led the party since 2013 and became prime minister in 2015 when the Liberals won the parliamentary elections that year.