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.
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Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announces his resignation
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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
Nepal’s rapper-turned-mayor challenges ousted PM
Katmandu: Nepal’s rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah will go into a head-to-head election battle with the veteran prime minister he helped unseat, as he champions youth demands that toppled last year’s government.
The 35-year-old resigned last week as mayor of Katmandu to contest general elections, announcing Tuesday that he will directly challenge ousted prime minister KP Sharma Oli by running in the same constituency.
Nepal will hold general elections on March 5, the first since mass anti-corruption protests in September 2025 overthrew Oli, a 73-year-old Marxist leader and four-term prime minister.
“Contesting against a major figure... signals that I am not taking the easy way out,” Shah told AFP, ahead of his formal confirmation of candidacy.
“It demonstrates that, despite the problems or betrayals that have affected the country, we are moving toward addressing them,” he added.
Better known as Balen, the former mayor arrived for the interview at a Katmandu hotel dressed in black and wearing a traditional Nepali hat or “topi,” though he was without his trademark dark square sunglasses.
His hip-hop songs tackling corruption and inequality have drawn millions of views.
A civil engineer and rapper before joining politics, Shah stunned the political establishment in 2022 when he became the first independent candidate to be elected as Katmandu mayor.
He built a reputation as a sharp-tongued reformer, launching campaigns targeting tax evasion, traffic congestion, education and city waste.
Shah’s approach, however, drew criticism for heavy-handed enforcement and for communicating directly with his millions of social media followers rather than engaging with journalists.
“We made many processes that operated through informal arrangements transparent, through open procurement,” he said.
- ‘Ripple effect’ -
In December, Shah joined the centrist Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), led by television host Rabi Lamichhane, 50.
RSP, which became parliament’s fourth-largest force in the last elections in 2022, challenged parties that had dominated Nepal since the end of its civil war in 2006.
If the RSP secures a parliamentary majority, Shah would become prime minister.
“We share the same ideology,” Shah said, describing a vision of “a liberal economic system with social justice,” including free education and health care for the poor.
Rather than contesting from his Katmandu base, Shah will challenge Oli in his stronghold of Jhapa-5, a largely rural district 300 kilometers (185 miles) southeast of Katmandu.
“This should not be perceived as an egoistic decision,” Shah said. “The ripple effect would simply be greater if I contest from Jhapa.”
The September 8-9 demonstrations were initially triggered by anger over a brief government ban on major social media platforms, with protesters gathered under a loose “Gen Z” banner.
But deeper grievances — economic stagnation and entrenched corruption — fueled the unrest in the country of 30 million, in which at least 77 people were killed.
- ‘Grow our economy’ -
Shah backed the protests while urging restraint, emerging as a central figure in the movement.
“Gen Z’s number one demand is good governance, because there is a high level of corruption in the country,” he said, adding that his party had drawn on protesters for support.
“The Gen Z protest has opened a door — 40 percent of our central committee members and proportional representatives are new faces who emerged from the September protest,” he said.
Young Nepalis are looking for leaders promising economic reform. The World Bank estimates 82 percent of Nepal’s workforce is in informal employment, with GDP per capita at $1,447 in 2024.
“We need to grow our economy,” Shah said, citing tourism, trade and skilled jobs as ways to stem the mass outflow of workers.
Landlocked Nepal, wedged between regional giants India and China, faces geopolitical pressures, but Shah sees an opportunity to make Nepal a trade hub.
“My approach is to maintain a natural relationship with both neighboring nations,” he said.
And while focused on politics, he said that music remains central to his identity.
“Music is a medium to express oneself,” he said. “I will continue it, even if I am elected as prime minister.”
The 35-year-old resigned last week as mayor of Katmandu to contest general elections, announcing Tuesday that he will directly challenge ousted prime minister KP Sharma Oli by running in the same constituency.
Nepal will hold general elections on March 5, the first since mass anti-corruption protests in September 2025 overthrew Oli, a 73-year-old Marxist leader and four-term prime minister.
“Contesting against a major figure... signals that I am not taking the easy way out,” Shah told AFP, ahead of his formal confirmation of candidacy.
“It demonstrates that, despite the problems or betrayals that have affected the country, we are moving toward addressing them,” he added.
Better known as Balen, the former mayor arrived for the interview at a Katmandu hotel dressed in black and wearing a traditional Nepali hat or “topi,” though he was without his trademark dark square sunglasses.
His hip-hop songs tackling corruption and inequality have drawn millions of views.
A civil engineer and rapper before joining politics, Shah stunned the political establishment in 2022 when he became the first independent candidate to be elected as Katmandu mayor.
He built a reputation as a sharp-tongued reformer, launching campaigns targeting tax evasion, traffic congestion, education and city waste.
Shah’s approach, however, drew criticism for heavy-handed enforcement and for communicating directly with his millions of social media followers rather than engaging with journalists.
“We made many processes that operated through informal arrangements transparent, through open procurement,” he said.
- ‘Ripple effect’ -
In December, Shah joined the centrist Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), led by television host Rabi Lamichhane, 50.
RSP, which became parliament’s fourth-largest force in the last elections in 2022, challenged parties that had dominated Nepal since the end of its civil war in 2006.
If the RSP secures a parliamentary majority, Shah would become prime minister.
“We share the same ideology,” Shah said, describing a vision of “a liberal economic system with social justice,” including free education and health care for the poor.
Rather than contesting from his Katmandu base, Shah will challenge Oli in his stronghold of Jhapa-5, a largely rural district 300 kilometers (185 miles) southeast of Katmandu.
“This should not be perceived as an egoistic decision,” Shah said. “The ripple effect would simply be greater if I contest from Jhapa.”
The September 8-9 demonstrations were initially triggered by anger over a brief government ban on major social media platforms, with protesters gathered under a loose “Gen Z” banner.
But deeper grievances — economic stagnation and entrenched corruption — fueled the unrest in the country of 30 million, in which at least 77 people were killed.
- ‘Grow our economy’ -
Shah backed the protests while urging restraint, emerging as a central figure in the movement.
“Gen Z’s number one demand is good governance, because there is a high level of corruption in the country,” he said, adding that his party had drawn on protesters for support.
“The Gen Z protest has opened a door — 40 percent of our central committee members and proportional representatives are new faces who emerged from the September protest,” he said.
Young Nepalis are looking for leaders promising economic reform. The World Bank estimates 82 percent of Nepal’s workforce is in informal employment, with GDP per capita at $1,447 in 2024.
“We need to grow our economy,” Shah said, citing tourism, trade and skilled jobs as ways to stem the mass outflow of workers.
Landlocked Nepal, wedged between regional giants India and China, faces geopolitical pressures, but Shah sees an opportunity to make Nepal a trade hub.
“My approach is to maintain a natural relationship with both neighboring nations,” he said.
And while focused on politics, he said that music remains central to his identity.
“Music is a medium to express oneself,” he said. “I will continue it, even if I am elected as prime minister.”
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