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Japan ruling party elects Yoshihide Suga as PM successor

TOKYO

Yoshihide Suga was elected leader of Japan's ruling party putting him on track to become the country's next prime minister

Japan's ruling party on Monday elected chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga as its new leader, making him all but certain to replace Shinzo Abe as the country's next prime minister.

Suga easily won the ballot, taking 377 of a total of 534 valid votes from Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers and regional representatives.

His rivals, former defense minister Shigeru Ishiba, and LDP policy chief Fumio Kishida trailed far behind.

Given the LDP's legislative majority, Suga is expected to handily win a parliamentary vote Wednesday and become prime minister, taking over from Abe, who is resigning for health reasons.

A powerful government adviser and spokesman, 71-year-old Suga are seen as promising stability and a continuation of Abe's policies.