Australian treasurer set to be next prime minister
After losing support of ruling Liberals, PM Malcolm Turnbull bowed out of Friday's vote bringing Scott Morrison to power
By Recep Sakar
MELBOURNE
Australia’s treasurer is set to become the country's new premier after winning a ruling Liberal Party leadership vote on Friday.
Scott Morrison, a former immigration minister, defeated former Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton by a vote of 45-40 in the internal ballot.
Liberal Party leader and outgoing Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull chose not to contest the vote after losing his party’s majority support.
The vote came after days of internal wrangling over whether Turnbull could maintain his grip on the premiership after an uprising of his party’s conservative wing.
A row over energy and climate change policies last week instigated the tension between Turnbull and the conservative wing.
No Australian prime minister has survived a full term since John Howard, who served from 1996 to 2007.
Meanwhile, Environment and Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg was elected the party’s deputy leader.
A Cabinet reshuffle is expected in the coming days.
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