47-year-old Liz Truss on Monday emerged victorious in the UK PM election, defeating Rishi Sunak by 81,326 votes to 60,399. Truss is the third woman Prime Minister of the country, after Margaret Thatcher and Theresa May.
She is also the fourth PM from the Conservatives’ camp to assume office since the 2015 election.
News reports quoted her as saying, “Thank you for putting your trust in me to lead and deliver for our great country. I will take bold action to get all of us through these tough times, grow our economy, and unleash the United Kingdom’s potential.”
Truss succeeds Boris Johnson, who was forced to tender his resignation in July this year. The country has been undergoing a series of turmoil for a while now, including recent food inflation, standing at over 10%.
Truss is the latest woman to assume the top job in the world. According to figures from the United Nations about women’s leadership and political participation, 26 women are heads of state or governments in about 24 countries. However, only 14 countries have 50% or more women in their cabinets, and 21% of ministers are women.
Women’s participation in leadership is considered to be essential for the accomplishment of UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
