LONDON: Liz Truss was elected as the leader of the ruling Conservative Party on Monday, ending a contest to replace the scandal-hit Boris Johnson as prime minister of the United Kingdom.
Truss, 47, who has held the position of foreign secretary before, was the undisputed front-runner. She won by appealing to the right-wing party faithful as a candidate who would lower taxes and be tough on interactions with the European Union after Brexit.
She inherits a country facing a dire winter energy crisis, widespread strikes and economic recession, and long-term concerns about the deterioration of its beloved public services and its standing as a world power following Brexit. These topics were mostly avoided during the two-month leadership contest, which she ultimately won by a margin of 57 percent to 43 percent over former finance minister Rishi Sunak.
That is a narrower margin than what polling and her supporters may have hoped for. She will be named prime minister by Queen Elizabeth II on Tuesday at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, breaking with custom for the ailing monarch who has traditionally carried out the royal duty in London. As the leader of the nation's largest party.
At an announcement event in the capital, Truss made light of the protracted leadership contest by calling it "one of the longest job interviews in history" while speaking to a gathering of Conservative activists and politicians.
Truss, who will succeed Margaret Thatcher and Theresa May as the country's third female leader, thanked her supporters for placing their trust in her to lead the Conservative Party, the most powerful political organisation on earth.
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