Five more candidates are running to succeed British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. At the moment, former finance minister Rishi Sunak seems the most promising.
He also received the most votes in the second round to become the leader of the Conservative ruling party, British media report. The eventual winner automatically becomes Prime Minister.
Parliamentarian Penny Mordaunt, the bookie’s favourite, finished second again. In each subsequent round, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated. Only at the final ballot, when two candidates remain, will all members of the Conservative Party be allowed to vote. Now, these are just the Conservative MPs. The final result will be announced on September 5.
The Conservative Party is looking for a new leader as Johnson has announced his departure. He did so when ministers resigned en masse out of dissatisfaction with his leadership. As prime minister, Johnson has been ravaged by a series of scandals and wants to stay on until a replacement is chosen.