In a stunning turn of events, cabinet minister John Abbott has announced his resignation, bringing the turbulent chapter of the 2021 pandemic election to a close.

The conflict stemmed from a fiercely contested race in St. John’s East-Quidi Vidi, where Abbott narrowly defeated former NDP leader Alison Coffin by just 53 votes. The NDP's legal challenge claimed errors in the voting process and raised serious questions about election integrity.

Elections NL confirmed that while Abbott committed no wrongdoing, they acknowledged administrative mistakes concerning special ballots. These errors fueled allegations of widespread voting irregularities during the election.

Coffin and her party argued these issues constituted a violation of voter rights and sought intervention from the Supreme Court, demanding a complete annulment of the results and a byelection.

With the trial date looming just days away, it seems the pressure mounted, leading to the settlement announcement. The Court of Appeal previously ruled that the trial should proceed, despite Abbott’s legal team arguing that the timeline for a byelection was already too close to the upcoming general elections.

This unprecedented settlement has raised questions about the future of contested results in at least two other districts, as both Abbott and the NDP are set to address the media separately later today.

Stay tuned as we continue to uncover more details surrounding this significant political development!