Tory members can cast their vote for the successor from today. Secretary of State Truss is ahead in polls.
Roughly three weeks after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced his resignation, members of the Conservative Tory Party are beginning to vote for a successor. The approximately 200,000 party members can choose between Foreign Minister Liz Truss and ex-Finance Minister Rishi Sunak. Voting ends on September 2nd, with the final result to be announced on September 5th.
So far, opinion polls see Truss clearly ahead of Sunak. The MPs of the Tory party had chosen the two for the runoff for the office of party leader and thus also the head of government. Accordingly, the winner of the election also moves into the seat of government in Downing Street. All members who joined the Tory party by 3 June at the latest are entitled to vote.
Sunak is considered a Johnson critic
Acting Prime Minister Johnson announced his resignation on July 7 after unprecedented pressure from the cabinet. Several scandals followed. Secretary of State Truss repeatedly defended the outgoing prime minister. Her opponent Sunak, on the other hand, sharply criticized Johnson.
A total of eight party members had applied to succeed Johnson. In several ballots, the candidate with the fewest votes had to say goodbye to the race.
TV duel and regional conferences
Truss and Sunak will meet again tomorrow in a TV duel. Before that, they will again face questions from party members at a regional conference called “Hustings” in the south-west English city of Exeter. Ten such “hustings” are planned before the end of the voting period. The main focus is on tax policy.
The opposition had already called for early parliamentary elections after the successor decision, but this is not mandatory. The next regular nationwide vote is scheduled for 2024.
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