Peter O’Neill has stepped down as Papua New Guinea’s prime minister. Photograph: Xinhua/Barcroft Images

Peter O'Neill, Papua New Guinea's prime minister, resigns

After weeks of high-level defections from his ruling party, the prime minister of Papua New Guinea, Peter O’Neill has resigned from the parliament. Peter O’Neill told a news conference that the political allegiances in parliament are in need of change.

O’Neill’s opponent said that O’Neill’s leadership in handling the multibillion-dollar gas deal was a poor outcome for PNG. However, According to the opposition MP and one of O’Neill’s outspoken critics, Bryan Kramer, he could not believe that O’Neill was really leaving. There is no resignation letter, while the law doesn’t take effect until a letter has been submitted and accepted by the attorney general.

There will be an announcement on the floor parliament for the position of prime minister if the letter is accepted by the general attorney. There should be a vote by MPs to elect a member of their group for the vacancy.

Has been a prime minister for seven years, O’Neill has handed the leadership to Sir Julius Chan. However, there will be 63 MPs, compared to the government’s 48 MPs, as the nominee for the next prime minister and Kramer stated that the next prime minister will definitely not be Julius Chan.