Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday he will step down in the coming months, bowing to an angry electorate at a time of uncertain economic prospects and political strife.

The announcement, which came amid a parliamentary gridlock, left Canada in political flux just as the new Trump administration vowed to impose punitive tariffs on Canadian imports.

“It’s time for a reset,” said Mr. Trudeau to reporters outside his residence on a cold morning in the capital, Ottawa. Mr. Trudeau said he has suspended parliament until March 24 and will remain as Liberal Party leader and prime minister until his replacement is chosen in a nationwide party election.

“I really feel that removing the controversy over my continued leadership is an opportunity to lower the temperature,” he said.

Mr. Trudeau, 53, who came to power nearly a decade ago and quickly became seen as a progressive icon, is the latest leader in the West to be pushed back by anti-government sentiment, opposition to immigration and anger over the lingering effects of a spike in inflation during the coronavirus pandemic. Although inflation in Canada has fallen below 2 percent, unemployment remains high, above 6 percent.

The general election must be held by October, the schedule that Mr. Trudeau stated on Monday.

“It became obvious to me with internal struggles that I could not be the one to carry the liberal standard in the next election,” he said.

Mr. Trudeau has been facing mounting pressure from within his own party for weeks.

In December, Deputy Prime Minister Mr. Trudeau and the Minister of Finance, Chrystia Freeland, abruptly stepped backissuing a sharp rebuke to his leadership and management of the country. Ms. Freeland, who has been a close ally of the prime minister, accused Mr. Trudeau of engaging in “expensive political tricks” and of being unwilling to meet the challenge posed by Mr. Trump.

Her resignation prompted a growing chorus of voices from Liberal MPs who asked her to step aside for the good of the party and let someone else lead the party in the general election.

Mr. Trudeau has also been under pressure from a resurgent Conservative Party, which has held a convincing double-digit lead over the Liberal Party in recent polls. The leader of the conservatives, Pierre Poilievre, announced video on social media on Monday promoting an alternative vision of governance: “axe tax,” referring to Trudeau’s unpopular carbon tax“build homes”, “fix the budget” and “stop crime”.

The reversal comes as Canada debates how best to deal with the promise of Mr. Trump that he would impose tariffs that would invalidate the trade agreement between Canada, the United States and Mexico. (Mr. Trump has also threatened tariffs on Mexico and says he wants both countries to address the flow of drugs and undocumented migrants into the United States).

Tariffs would be potentially devastating to Canada’s economy, which is heavily dependent on exports, particularly oil and automobiles. The United States and Canada are each other’s largest trading partners.

Mr. Trudeau visited Mr. Trump at Mar-a-Lago, his private club and residence in Florida, in late November, and his government discussed addressing the president-elect’s concerns about border security in the hope that he would reconsider his tariff threats.

It seems that the talks were not fruitful. In early December, Mr Trump mocked Mr Trudeau in a social media post, describing the Canadian prime minister as “Governor Justin Trudeau of the Great State of Canada”.

On Monday, Mr. Trump responded to Trudeau’s resignation by suggesting again that Canada should become America’s “51st state,” saying on social media that if Canada merged with the U.S., taxes would be cut and there would be no tariffs.

Among the possible replacements for Mr. Trudeau is Mrs. Freeland, former deputy prime minister and finance minister; Dominic LeBlanc, who became finance minister when Mrs Freeland resigned; Melanie Joly, the first Canadian diplomat from 2021; and Mark Carney, former governor of the Bank of Canada, who also led the Bank of England.

Mr. Trudeau, whose government has been hamstrung by a lack of a majority in parliament, said Monday that the legislature was “totally mired in obstruction, filibustering and a complete lack of productivity.”

In his comments in French, he painted an even harsher picture of a parliament that “doesn’t work anymore”.

The suspension of parliament, a process known as prorogation, will give his party time to choose a new leader, which Mr. Trudeau said will be through a “robust, competitive process that spans the entire country.” A new — and perhaps more popular — leader could put the Liberals on a firmer footing in the upcoming national election.

Suspending parliament deletes all pending legislation, but does not affect the day-to-day operations of the government.

Mr. Trudeau has spent a decade building a political brand as a feminist, environmentalist and advocate for refugees and indigenous peoples, pursuing the same message of change and hope as Barack Obama. But analysts say Mr. Trudeau’s brand, which appears to be the antithesis of Mr. Trump’s, is no longer working for him.

“He caught a wave on his way, and when you catch a wave, it can pick you up,” said Darrell Bricker, veteran pollster and CEO of Ipsos Public Affairs. “But on the other hand, if you don’t get off, it will ground you.”

An Ipsos poll, published at the end of December, showed that the Liberals trailed the Conservatives by 25 percentage points.

Although the next election must be held by October, the vote could be called or forced earlier.

The liberal government under the new prime minister could be short-lived. And shortly after the start of the new session, the Liberal government will probably receive a vote of confidence. She would probably lose such a vote, as she has only a minority of seats in parliament and has lost the support of all other parties. This would lead to a federal election.

The prime minister also has the power to dissolve parliament at any time, which would also trigger an election.