KATHMANDU: Japan’s ruling party has elected Yoshihide Suga as its new leader to succeed Shinzo Abe, paving the way for him to become the country’s next prime minister.
Last month Abe announced his resignation due to health issues.
Suga, 71, serves as chief cabinet secretary in the current administration and was widely expected to win.
He is considered a close ally of Abe and likely to continue his predecessor’s policies.
As had been widely expected, Suga won by a large margin, taking 377 of a total of 534 votes from his party’s lawmakers and regional representatives.
The parliamentary voting scheduled for Wednesay will elect Suga as the next prime minister of Japan since the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has majority.
Taking over mid-term, Suga is expected to finish the rest of the current period, until elections in September 2021.
Born as the son of strawberry farmers, Suga is considered a veteran politician with the reputation of being very efficient and practical.
(With inputs from Agencies)
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