Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull has stared down calls for his resignation amid an escalating leadership crisis that has crippled his government.
Mr Turnbull is fighting to retain his position amid a push by senior colleagues to replace him as leader.
But he has said he would not contest the leadership if his rivals in the Liberal Party secured enough support to bring on another internal vote.
The government suspended parliament on Thursday to try to resolve the crisis.
Mr Turnbull told reporters that Australians “will be rightly appalled by what they are witnessing in their nation’s parliament today”.
Is Turnbull still prime minister?
Yes, but that could change on Friday. Mr Turnbull has vowed to hold a party meeting to see if he is still supported by a majority of MPs.
If leadership rival Peter Dutton produces a letter with sufficient signatures, Mr Turnbull has said he will vacate the leadership.
That would bring on a leadership contest. In that situation, Australian media reported that Mr Dutton could face off with Treasurer Scott Morrison.
Mr Turnbull said he would not run.
Why has his party turned on him?
Mr Turnbull has endured poor opinion polls, the loss of recent by-elections, and a revolt by the conservative wing of his party.
Internal rumblings came to head in a debate about energy and climate policy – polarising issues for his centre-right coalition.
In an attempt to appease conservatives on Monday, Mr Turnbull abandoned plans to set an emissions target in legislation.
But it made little difference: Mr Dutton launched a leadership challenge a day later. Although Mr Turnbull won, the narrow 48-35 vote was seen as damaging.
What does it mean to suspend parliament?
It prevented an entire session of Question Time, where the prime minister faces MPs in parliament, ahead of an already scheduled two-week break. This was seen as an extraordinary move.
It also means all parliamentary business is halted, so no debates can be held of new laws passed.
There were jeers of “you’re a disgrace” from the opposition benches as the House of Representatives voted 70-68 to break until 10 September.
Labor Leader of the Opposition Bill Shorten said the country “no longer has a functioning government”.
“The government may adjourn the parliament, but they cannot outrun the weight of failure of this government,” he said after the vote.
