NEW YORK Governor Andrew Cuomo resigned from office on Tuesday following several allegations of sexual harassment.
The governor’s decision, which will be effective in two weeks, was announced after investigations by New York’s attorney-general revealed that Cuomo had sexually harassed at least 11 women.
The investigators said Cuomo had subjected the women to unwanted kisses, touched them inappropriately, made insinuating remarks about their looks and their sex lives, and created a work environment “rife with fear and intimidation.”
Cuomo would be replaced by a former member of Congress from the Buffalo area, Kathy Hochul, a 62-year old democrat.
Cuomo still faces the possibility of criminal charges, as prosecutors around the state are making moves to investigate him.
Accusations levelled against the governor had begun in December 2020 and continued to unfold in months that followed.
He has denied most of the allegations, admitting only to making snide comments which he said were meant to be playful.
He described the [encounters] as a misunderstanding and attributed them to his background in an affectionate Italian family and apologised thereafter.
The embattled governor was widely praised for his leadership during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
But his administration was also criticised for forcing nursing homes to accept patients who were recovering from the COVID-19 virus.
Cuomo has been divorced since 2005 from the author and activist Kerry Kennedy and has three adult daughters.
Ijeoma Opara is a journalist with The ICIR. Reach her via vopara@icirnigeria.org or @ije_le on Twitter.