British citizens are going to find out who will succeed Prime Minister Boris Johnson in the power struggle, at the end of which – if there is no big surprise – Liz Truss will be crowned as the new leader of the United Kingdom, reports France Presse.

The announcement will be made at 12.30pm local time (2.30pm in Romania) and the result of the vote, open to around 200,000 Conservative Party members, leaves little room for anticipation as the foreign secretary faces former finance minister Rishi Sunac.

Truss, 47, who remained loyal to Boris Johnson until the end when dozens of executive resignations took place in early July, will become Britain’s fourth prime minister since the 2016 Brexit referendum and the third woman prime minister. place in British history after Margaret Thatcher and Theresa May.

The new lady of Downing Street takes office in an explosive economic and social context, with inflation above 10% and expected to rise further, and skyrocketing energy bills suffocating citizens, businesses and public services.

Liz Truss: A campaign full of rather vague promises

Economic policy was certainly at the center of this long and very right-wing campaign, which at times seemed at odds with the dramatic escalation of the crisis over the summer.

Liz Truss captured the voters’ attention by promising big tax cuts and taking a very tough tone on unions.

On the other hand, Rishi Sunak, a wealthy ex-banker, lost points for advocating economic realism far removed from “fairy tales” and was seen as a technocrat incapable of understanding the plight of ordinary people.

On Sunday, Truss said she would act “from the first week” to help Britons with their energy bills after being elected, but declined to specify the specific nature of the measures she plans to take.

According to several British publications, it is considering freezing energy prices. She also emphasized that “within a month” she will present a fiscal reform project to overcome the crisis.

In two popular newspapers, The Sun and the Daily Mail, Truss promised to “do everything” to ensure that Britons have “the opportunity to go as far as possible with their talent and hard work”.

Although she won over the electoral base of Britain’s ruling party, 52% of Britons think she would make a bad or very bad prime minister, according to a recent YouGov poll.

With the 2024 general election two years away, it is not certain that her vague promises will be enough to quell the social discontent that is rocking the country more than ever since Thatcher (1979-1990).

The 15th prime minister of the era of Elizabeth II

The Summer of Discontent, with numerous strikes in transport, the post office, hospitals and among criminal lawyers, created an explosive social situation for the future British government.

And this is during the period of quasi-vacation of the government, when the prime minister did not resign at all, having twice been on foreign business trips with his family.

But while both Tory candidates have struggled to champion “change” after the scandal-plagued Johnson era, some members of the Conservative Party are already mourning the former prime minister.

Boris Johnson refused to publicly endorse either candidate and assured his successor of his support in a farewell message published in the Sunday Express, saying both finalists were “more than capable” of the job.

However, he did not rule out a return to politics.

He will hand in his resignation to Elizabeth II at the Queen’s summer residence in Balmoral, Scotland, on Tuesday, a first for the 96-year-old sovereign, who has mobility difficulties and will not travel to London.

Johnson’s successor will be the 15th head of government during Elizabeth II’s 70-year reign.