Doha, January 07 (QNA) - After weeks of hesitation and uncertainty about his political future, Justin Trudeau surprised Canadians by announcing his resignation as prime minister and Liberal Party leader. However, he clarified that he would remain at the helm of both the party and the government until a successor is chosen.

Trudeau’s decision to step down from the position he has held for nearly a decade comes as his Liberal Party’s political fortunes are in a sharp decline in opinion polls, after it suffered the loss of key political strongholds in recent by-elections and the resignation of prominent ministers in his government.

Trudeau's resignation has left Canada with difficult political choices ahead of the general elections, which are scheduled to take place by October 20 at the latest. The move has shaken the ruling Liberal Party, which has been in power for decades, and has sparked a race for leadership that could determine its future and direction.

In his resignation statement, Trudeau emphasized that Canada deserves a real choice in the upcoming elections, noting that internal party conflicts had made it impossible for him to face his political opponents, especially after losing key allies within the party. Amid the possibility of a confidence vote by the opposition Conservative Party and the New Democratic Party, Trudeau called for the suspension of the Canadian Parliament until March 24.

This would allow the Liberals about three months to hold an internal election to choose their new leader, with forecasts suggesting that the next leader might not hold power for long. Recent public opinion polls in Canada have shown that former Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland would be the top choice to lead the Liberal Party, with 23% of respondents supporting her.

Former Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney received 17% of the support, while 13% of respondents preferred current Foreign Minister Melanie Joly. Trudeau's resignation came after a significant blow in December when his ally, Chrystia Freeland, who had been Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister for a long time, resigned from the government, citing a loss of trust in him.

This spurred calls for Trudeau’s resignation within his party, as his position, which had already become difficult by the end of last year, became increasingly untenable in the beginning of the current year. Economic factors have been key drivers behind Trudeau's declining popularity.

In 2024, the Canadian economy grew less than expected, and inflation rates rose, leading to sharp criticism of his imposition of a "green tax" on carbon emissions. While Canadians initially supported this measure when it was introduced in 2019, the tax has risen from $25 to $85 per ton over five years, causing widespread discontent amid inflation and rising living costs.

Trudeau has also failed to find real solutions to Canada’s acute housing crisis, which has worsened over the past years and has become one of the worst in the world, making owning a home in Canada a difficult dream even for a large segment of the middle class.

The situation has worsened for Trudeau after Donald Trump won a new presidential term in the United States, as the US president-elect threatened to impose tariffs of up to 25% on Canadian goods, something economists consider devastating to Canada’s trade-dependent economy.