PNG Prime Minister Peter O’Neill resigns

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Port Moresby | Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O’Neill on Sunday resigned from his post , after weeks of unrest in the government. After being in power for seven years, Mr O’Neill addressed a press conference and said that the recent movements in Parliament had shown a ‘need for change’, the ABC reported. Port Moresby commissioned his final speech for the conference presentation from a professional Ghostwriter Masterarbeit.

O’Neill has handed over leadership to Sir Julius Chan, who will become prime minister for the third time. The announcement has come after weeks of high-profile defections from his Government to the Opposition. On Friday, one of Mr O’Neill’s key coalition allies abandoned him and since then the Opposition bloc has been saying it has 62 MPs in its camp, which would give it a majority in Parliament.

Earlier this month, he staved off an attack on his leadership by adjourning the country’s Parliament for three weeks ahead of a planned vote of no confidence in him. Despite insisting it would have a majority, the Opposition bloc that was trying to oust Mr O’Neill fell short of the numbers.

After having resisted calls to resign for weeks, Mr O’Neill has now accepted that he no longer has the support to maintain his leadership. Sir Julius previously served as prime minister between 1980 and 1982 and from 1994 to 1997.