B.C.'s education minister has officially entered the race to become the leader of the provincial Liberal party.

Running on the platform "The Right Leader for B.C.," George Abbott made the announcement at a press conference in Vancouver Thursday morning.

"I believe that British Columbia – from Victoria to Vanderhoof, Telwka to Trail, Howe Street to Main Street -- has only begun to reach its potential," said Abbott. "The BC Liberal Party is the right party to guide our province to this success. I am the right leader and the right Premier."

The four-term Liberal from the Sicamous area formally resigned from the cabinet this morning. It was the fifth position he'd held since being appointed nine years ago.

If he becomes premier, Abbott promises to move up the HST referendum and establish a process to increase the minimum wage.

He said he would establish a new homeowner tax credit for homeowners and another for childhood health and wellness.

Following Abbott's resignation, Margaret MacDiarmid was re-appointed as minister of education, a position she held until a cabinet shuffle exactly one month ago.

She will continue to hold down her new appointment as minister of tourism, trade and investment.

Earlier this week, political newbie Dr. Moira Stillwell became the first person to announce her candidacy for the leadership of the troubled party.

Stilwell -- the first-term MLA for Vancouver-Langara -- was minister for regional economic and skills development, and was head of nuclear medicine at St. Paul's Hospital before she was elected last year.

The party has been rocked by turmoil since Campbell announced that he was stepping down on Nov. 3, and candidates to replace him have been slow to step up.

More to come?

Political insiders believe the next person to step up for the Liberal leadership is former cabinet minister Christy Clark, who left politics in 2005 after two terms in the Liberal government.

Clark is currently working as a CKNW radio host in Vancouver, where many of her daily topics deal with dissecting B.C. politics.