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Veteran leader damaged Labor party’s standings by opposing extradition of drug lord Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke to the US Bruce Golding, the Jamaican prime minister, will step down as leader in the coming weeks – averting a possible party rebellion that could have led to his ouster. Golding will resign once a new leader of the Jamaica Labor party is elected. The party’s leader automatically becomes prime minister. The announcement was made in a brief statement from the party, which said Golding informed its central executive committee of his decision at a quarterly meeting in Kingston, the capital. Golding, 63, is a veteran parliamentarian who had been expected to lead his party into the 2012 general elections. “[Golding] said the challenges of the last four years have taken their toll and it was appropriate now to make way for new leadership to continue the programmes of economic recovery and transformation while mobilising the party for victory in the next general elections,” the party statement said. Dennis Meadows, a senator and member of the Jamaica Labor party’s executive committee, said there had been an “overwhelming response” for Golding to stay on as party leader. “[But] he feels the chances of the party winning the next elections are at a disadvantage with him at the head, but there’s no questioning of his competence,” Meadows said. The education minister, Andrew Holness, also from the Labor party, dominated a poll conducted this year asking islanders who should lead if Golding were to step down. Golding’s career has been in jeopardy since 2009 because of his handling of the extradition of the Jamaican drug kingpin Christopher “Dudus” Coke to the United States. Critics have slammed Golding for allowing the contracting of a law firm to lobby Washington to drop its request for extradition. Golding resisted Coke’s extradition for nine months, arguing the US indictment on gun and drug trafficking charges relied on illegal wiretap evidence. Golding’s parliament district included Coke’s West Kingston slum stronghold. The stance strained relations with Washington, which questioned Jamaica’s reliability as an ally in the fight against drug trafficking. When Golding finally agreed to send Coke to the US, a hunt for the fugitive led to days of fighting in May 2010 that killed at least 73 civilians and three security officers. Coke was captured about a month later and extradited. Last month Coke pleaded guilty to racketeering and assault charges, admitting his leadership of the brutal Shower Posse gang. He is due to be sentenced in December. The Coke controversy prompted Golding to offer his resignation last year but it was rejected by his party. Peter Phillips, a spokesman for the main opposition People’s National party, said the Coke saga had been one of the bloodiest episodes in Jamaica’s recent history. The government’s inability to fix the island’s poor economy had also contributed to Golding leaving. “I think it is reflective of the low standing the prime minister has amongst the Jamaican people. His credibility was destroyed in the Christopher Coke fiasco,” Phillips said. From its national executive council gathering in the northern city of Montego Bay, the People’s National party called on Golding to immediately call general elections “to resolve the crisis of governance in the country.” It said the entire government’s immediate resignation was needed since Golding’s announcement “will not restore the country’s stability nor salvage the reputation of the (Jamaica Labor party) with respect to the poor quality of governance”. Golding, the son of a successful businessman who also served in parliament, returned his party to power in 2007 after 18 years in opposition. When he was elected as prime minister he pledged to create jobs, fight jobs and repair the streets. Last year he vowed to crush street gangs and replace their strong-armed rule with social programmes for the poor. While security forces have since launched a sustained crackdown on gangs that has resulted in decreases in murder and other crimes, Jamaica’s sprawling underclass is still struggling. Golding has repeatedly denied any ties to Coke and even resigned from the Labor party in the mid-1990s to form a new party that would be free of gang links. He rejoined Labor in 2002. Political observers say Golding could not have been elected to his parliament seat without the support of Coke, the former don of Tivoli Gardens, which has a longstanding reputation as a vote-rich stronghold for the Jamaica Labor party. Coke also thrived under the People’s National party, which led the island for nearly two decades before Labor’s 2007 win. Jamaica US foreign policy guardian.co.uk