Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced his resignation, telling the nation that “internal battles” mean he “cannot be the best option” in the next election.
Trudeau said Monday he has asked the president of his Liberal Party to begin the process to select a new leader. He has faced rising discontent over his leadership, and the abrupt departure of his finance minister late last year signaled growing turmoil within his government.
Parliament will be suspended until March 24. It had been due to resume Jan. 27. The timing will allow for a Liberal Party leadership race.
Trudeau had been the second-youngest prime minister in Canada’s history when he was elected in 2015, and he had been planning to run for a fourth term in next year’s election even as discontent in his party grew. He said that “I have always been driven by my love for Canada” and repeatedly described himself as a fighter.
Here’s the latest:
A HOPEFUL FOR PRIME MINISTER THANKS TRUDEAU
One person likely to seek power in the Liberal Party after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s resignation is Mark Carney, the former head of the Bank of Canada and later the Bank of England.
Carney has long been interested in entering politics and becoming prime minister, and Trudeau tried to recruit him to join his government.
Carney in a post on X thanked Trudeau for his contributions and sacrifices. He adds: “Wishing you the best for your next chapters.”
TRUDEAU SAYS CANADA NEEDS A RESET IN POLITICS
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada deserves a Parliament that functions. He took questions after announcing his resignation Monday morning.
Trudeau said Parliament has been “entirely seized” by what he called obstruction and a total lack of productivity. He said this has been the longest-serving minority government in Canadian history.
And in some of his final comments to the media, Trudeau shared his thoughts on opposition Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre. He said Poilievre has a “very small vision” for Canada, describing it as “stopping the fight against climate change,” backing off on “strength in diversity” and “attacking journalists.”
TRUDEAU ANNOUNCES HIS RESIGNATION
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced his resignation, telling the media that “internal battles” mean he “cannot be the best option” in the next election.
Trudeau says he has asked the president of his Liberal Party to begin the process to select a new leader. He has faced rising discontent over his leadership, and the abrupt departure of his finance minister late last year signaled growing turmoil within his government.
Shortly before he spoke, an official familiar with the matter said Parliament will be suspended until March 24. It had been due to resume Jan. 27. The timing will allow for a Liberal Party leadership race. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about the matter publicly.
FIRST, SOME BACKGROUND
Trudeau came to power in 2015 after 10 years of Conservative Party rule, and had initially been praised for returning the country to its liberal past. But the 53-year-old leader, the son of Pierre Trudeau, one of Canada’s most famous prime ministers, became deeply unpopular with voters in recent years over a range of issues, including the soaring cost of food and housing, and surging immigration.
The political upheaval comes at a difficult moment for Canada internationally. US President-elect Donald Trump has threatened to impose 25 percent tariffs on all Canadian goods if the government does not stem what Trump calls a flow of migrants and drugs in the US
That’s even though far fewer of each crosses into the US from Canada than from Mexico, which Trump has also threatened.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announces his resignation
https://arab.news/55tsy
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announces his resignation
- Trudeau said Monday he has asked the president of his Liberal Party to begin the process to select a new leader
- He has faced rising discontent over his leadership, and the abrupt departure of his finance minister late last year
Junta leader Gen. Mamdi Doumbouya is declared winner of Guinea’s election, provisional results show
- Mamady Doumbouya took power in 2021 coup
CONAKRY, Guinea: Guinea coup leader Mamady Doumbouya has been elected president, according to provisional results announced on Tuesday, completing the return to civilian rule in the bauxite- and iron ore-rich West African nation.
The former special forces commander, thought to be in his early 40s, seized power in 2021, toppling then-President Alpha Conde, who had been in office since 2010. It was one in a series of nine coups that have reshaped politics in West and Central Africa since 2020.
The provisional results announced on Tuesday showed Doumbouya winning 86.72 percent of the December 28 vote, an absolute majority that allows him to avoid a runoff.
The Supreme Court has eight days to validate the results in the event of any challenge.
Doumbouya’s victory, which gives him a seven-year mandate, was widely expected. Conde and Cellou Dalein Diallo, Guinea’s longtime opposition leader, are in exile, which left Doumbouya to face a fragmented field of eight challengers.
Doumbouya reversed pledge not to run
The original post-coup charter in Guinea barred junta members from running in elections, but a constitution dropping those restrictions was passed in a September referendum.
Djenabou Toure, the country’s top election official who announced the results on Tuesday night, said turnout was 80,95 percent. However voter participation appeared tepid in the capital Conakry, and opposition politicians rejected a similarly high turnout figure for the September referendum.
Guinea holds the world’s largest bauxite reserves and the richest untapped iron ore deposit at Simandou, officially launched last month after years of delay.
Doumbouya has claimed credit for pushing the project forward and ensuring Guinea benefits from its output.
His government this year also revoked the license of Emirates Global Aluminium’s subsidiary Guinea Alumina Corporation following a refinery dispute, transferring the unit’s assets to a state-owned firm.
The turn toward resource nationalism — echoed in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger — has boosted his popularity, as has his relative youth in a country where the median age is about 19.
Political space restricted, UN says
Political debate has been muted under Doumbouya. Civil society groups accuse his government of banning protests, curbing press freedom and restricting opposition activity.
The campaign period was “severely restricted, marked by intimidation of opposition actors, apparently politically motivated enforced disappearances, and constraints on media freedom,” UN rights chief Volker Turk said last week.
On Monday, opposition candidate Faya Lansana Millimono told a press conference the election was marred by “systematic fraudulent practices” and that observers were prevented from monitoring the voting and counting processes.
The government did not respond to a request for comment.
