After British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced his resignation, nine candidates have entered the race to succeed him as Tory leader. The race is largely open so far.
The Prime Minister wants to remain in office until a decision is made. But many Tories would like to get rid of him immediately. This could have consequences for the party.
The nerves in the Conservative Party are on edge, the fight for Boris Johnson’s legacy is likely to turn into a mud fight. “The next few weeks will be terrible,” the Times newspaper quoted an anonymous cabinet member as saying. The party will ultimately be torn apart. No sooner had the British Prime Minister announced his departure on Thursday than the rifts broke open. In the evening, potential candidates and their supporters fell upon each other at a party in a mixture of doom and gloom and civil war.
Critics are calling for new elections – no matter who becomes Tory boss
The pre-selection is made by the 358 members of the parliamentary group. The party members only decide when there are still two applicants left. How many there are is unknown: estimates range from 100,000 to 200,000.
When the race is decided – according to “Telegraph” this should be the case by September 5th – the mud fight should not be over by a long shot. Many voices are already demanding that the winner call a new election. Otherwise, opponents would have an easy time denying the legitimacy of the new resident of 10 Downing Street.
The candidates at a glance.