Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey says he will be stepping down after nearly five years in power.

He is the second Atlantic premier to resign in less than a week, after Prince Edward Island Premier Dennis King announced his departure on Thursday.

Furey, an orthopedic surgeon, says he has always maintained that he is not “a career politician.” He told reporters in St. John’s, N.L., that he could not commit to another full term in office, with a provincial election scheduled to take place this year.

Furey, who became premier in August 2020 after winning the Liberal leadership, says he has asked the party to begin a race to replace him.

He says he will remain premier until his replacement is chosen, but that the time has come to return to his family and to the operating room.