Yoshihide Suga is elected Prime Minister of Japan, succeeding Shinzo Abe

The Japanese parliament elected Yoshihide Suga as the country’s new prime minister after Shinzo Abe resigned.

After being elected chairman of the ruling party’s ruling party earlier this week, Wednesday’s vote confirmed the new position of the former chief of Cabinet.

He is seen as a close ally of Abe and will likely continue to implement the policies of his predecessor.

Last month, Shinzo Abe announced his resignation, citing health reasons.

Earlier on Wednesday, Abe held his last cabinet meeting and told reporters that he is proud of his accomplishments during his nearly eight years in office.

Mr. Suga easily won the prime ministerial election in the Japanese House of Representatives, receiving 314 out of 462 votes.

With his conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) at the top of the parliamentary majority, Mr. Suga will surely be selected as prime minister.

Along with his new cabinet, it will soon be ceremonially celebrated by the Emperor in the Imperial Palace.

A veteran politician and longtime Cabinet member, Sugar was in power at a difficult time in the world’s third-largest economy.

Like many other countries, Japan is battling the corona virus pandemic that caused the largest economic decline to a record level, after years of economic stagnation.

The country also faces the problem of a rapidly aging society, with almost a third of the population over the age of 65.

Mr. Suga has served as the Chief of Staff, the highest position in the government, after the Prime Minister, for many years.

He vowed to continue implementing much of the previous administration’s agenda, including the economic reform program called Abenomics.

“The appointment of Mr. Suga ensures continuity in all major political initiatives proposed by Shinzo Abe,” Yuki Tatsumi, director of the Japan program at the Washington-based Stimson Center, told the BBC.

“The way he behaves as the face of the Japanese government will be the biggest test for you,” he warned.

“While his qualifications as a right-hand man to Mr. Abe and his chief of staff have been proven, his competence as the country’s leader in general has yet to be verified, especially in the field of foreign policy. The way he whether Mr. Suga can move from advocate to protagonist will determine how well the leadership transition can be managed. “

The son of a strawberry farmer, Suga is a veteran politician with a humble family background, which sets him apart from most of Japan’s political elite.

The 71-year-old politician slowly rose through the political ranks. Initially, he worked as the secretary to a PLD legislator before embarking on his own political career, from city council elections to becoming a member of the Diet, or House of Representatives, in 1996.

In 2005, he became Chief Cabinet Secretary under Junichiro Koizumi and gained influence in Abe’s cabinet thereafter.

As Mr. Abe’s right hand man, he has a reputation for being efficient and practical. Outgoing Prime Minister Abe strongly supports his ally for the leadership position.

One of his most prominent appearances in recent times is the announcement of the New Age Reiwa (Order of Peace) during the transition from Emperor Akihito’s abdication to Crown Prince Naruhito in 2019.

However, when he took office mid-term, many observers predicted that he would only serve the remainder of the term until the end of next year.

When he scored a landslide victory in the LPD on Monday, he just needed the support of his own party.

However, in next year’s general elections, he will face an electoral college and the lesser-known politician may not be the PLD’s first choice, observers said.