The search for a new leader has begun, after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced his resignation from the leadership of the Conservative Party, today, Thursday, and the following are details of the search for a replacement for Johnson:
The Downing Street resident will remain prime minister until the Conservative Party chooses a new leader in the fall. These are the details of the alternative selection mechanism, as reported by “Reuters”:
Anyone running for the post must be nominated by two Conservative MPs, and the number of applicants may be large.
Conservative MPs then hold several rounds of voting to reduce the number of candidates. Each time they are asked to vote secretly for their preferred candidate and whoever gets the fewest votes is disqualified.
This process is repeated until the number of competitors reaches two. Previously, voting took place on Tuesdays and Thursdays. But parliament is due to start its six-week summer recess on July 21, so the process may have to be speeded up.
- A postal vote will then be held on the last two candidates, including all members of the Conservative Party, and the winner will be appointed prime minister.
The leader of the party with the largest number of members in the House of Commons is the actual Prime Minister. He does not have to call for early elections, but he is entitled to do so.
The time period for selecting the Prime Minister can vary depending on the number of applicants for the position. Theresa May took office less than three weeks after David Cameron resigned in 2016 and all other contenders withdrew mid-race.
Johnson competed with former Health Minister Jeremy Hunt before Conservative Party members voted to replace May in 2019, and took office two months after May announced her intention to resign.
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