Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced his resignation

Ottawa: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced his resignation. Trudeau said in a press conference on Monday that he will step down as leader of the Liberal Party and as prime minister.

The decision was made after the party lost support. Trudeau also stated that he would remain as caretaker prime minister until a new party leader was chosen. The resignation comes as the Liberal Party's national caucus meeting is scheduled to be held on Wednesday. Trudeau has been prime minister for 9 years. He is stepping down after Trudeau's party's poor performance in the elections. 

There was a demand for Trudeau to resign within the Liberal Party itself. 131 of the 153 Liberal Party MPs in the Canadian Parliament were against Trudeau. In addition, the leadership of the Liberal Party in the Atlantic, Ontario and Quebec provinces of the party also came forward to demand Trudeau's resignation. This decision was made following this.

He has been the party leader since 2013. He became Prime Minister in November 2015. The party's national executive must elect a new leader. This will take 3 to 4 days. Trudeau, who has been in power for 9 years, is the longest-serving Prime Minister in Canadian history. 

Trudeau's popularity has plummeted in the past two years as he has failed to address issues such as rising prices and a housing shortage. Opinion polls predict that the opposition Conservative Party will win a landslide victory in this year's election. In September, the opposition brought a motion of no confidence against Trudeau in parliament, but it was unsuccessful. The New Democratic Party, a coalition partner, has also called for Trudeau to step down.

The opposition has also started moving to bring in another vote of no confidence by March. They are demanding an early election. It will take three to four months to elect a new leader. The general election in Canada is due to be held before October 20 this year. 

Former Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney, former ministers Melanie Joly and Dominique LeBlanc, and former British Columbia Premier Christy Clark are among the names being considered for the position of new leader.