Ousted Australian PM Turnbull to quit parliament

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The race is on to replace deposed Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull after reports that he's officially told his party men that he will quit parliament as soon as Friday.

Several aspiring candidates are vying for liberal leader's Wentworth seat in Sydney's eastern suburb.

Amidst a leadership crisis the by-election comes as yet another headache for the Liberal party. As defeat looms ahead, Australia's rattled government fears losing its tiny one-seat majority.

Turnbull was driven out of federal office in a Liberal party coup last week maneuvered by a hardline conservative faction.

After being knifed, the sidelined leader indicated and he would rather leave the house than being isolated to the backbench.

His departure will trigger a by-election for his Sydney seat, potentially on October 6, leaving new Prime Minister Scott Morrison in a precarious position with no parliamentary majority for two weeks.

Malcolm Turnbull, Australia's outgoing prime minister, right, waves during a news conference in Canberra, Australia, on Friday, Aug. 24, 2018. /VCG Photo

Morrison's cabinet was sworn in on Tuesday. The new Prime Minister announced on Sunday to build an inclusive cabinet that will not punish his rivals in a bruising power struggle.

Turnbull's seat in the wealthy Sydney enclave of Wentworth, a traditional Liberal bastion, although in the face of growing backlash against the government's political infighting a victory seems highly unlikely.

"As you know, my prime Ministership has come to an end. The circumstances have appalled most Australians but again, I won't labor the point," he told the Monday meeting, Fairfax reported.

"I have a strong view which I've made very clear publicly so it comes as no surprise, which former prime ministers are best out of parliament not in it, and I think recent events best underline the value of that observation.

"And so, accordingly, on Friday, I will resign from the House of Representatives."

Malcolm Turnbull, Australia's outgoing prime minister, left, and Julie Bishop, Australia's foreign minister, are seen through a door as they leave following a closed-door meeting of Liberal party lawmakers in Canberra, Australia, on Friday, Aug. 24, 2018. /VCG Photo

Christine Forster - the sister of arch-conservative Tony Abbott, who helped orchestrate Turnbull's political demise is already portraying herself as the front-runner for Turnbull's plum seat.

Others reportedly in the running include businessman and former ambassador to Israel Dave Sharma, while the Greens and Labor will almost certainly field their own candidates.

Source(s): AFP