LONDON _ Boris Johnson, a British politician best known for his eccentric and unpredictable ways, overwhelmingly won a party leadership contest on Tuesday that also anoints him as the country's next prime minister. He is expected to take up the top post Wednesday, promising a swift divorce from the European Union.
Johnson, 55, will immediately face an array of crises. A hard-line Brexiter, he insists Britain will depart the EU as scheduled on Oct. 31, despite bitter national divisions on how or even whether to do so. He also confronts high tensions with Iran over oil shipping in the Persian Gulf and a brewing rebellion within the ranks of his own party.
President Donald Trump, who has been a booster of both Brexit and Johnson, swiftly tweeted his congratulations, without waiting for Johnson to formally take office. "Congratulations to Boris Johnson on becoming the new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom," the president wrote. "He will be great!"
Because of the quirks of the British political system, only dues-paying members of the governing Conservative Party _ just 160,000 people _ were eligible to vote in the leadership contest. That means that the new prime minister was in effect picked by less than 1% of the electorate, chosen by a group that is older, wealthier and more likely to be white than the average voter.
Johnson's acceptance speech was delivered in his trademark exuberant hand-waving style, including some language that might be considered unconventional, coming from a product of Britain's most elite educational institutions.
"Dude, we are going to energize the country!" he declared. "We are going to get Brexit done!" (He told bemused listeners that the jaunty mode of address was a play of words on a campaign acronym.)
The prime-minister-in-waiting has leaned heavily on the notion that sheer national determination can make a success of Brexit, despite unabated polarization and rancor that erupted after the June 2016 Brexit referendum.
His detractors say Johnson has a misplaced faith that his own charisma will lead the Europeans to allow Britain to shake off EU rules while maintaining many of the essential privileges of membership in the bloc.
"We are once again going to believe in ourselves," Johnson told the party faithful who assembled in Westminster to hear the vote results announced.
Johnson had been heavily favored to triumph over rival Jeremy Hunt, the foreign minister, and the lopsided 2-to-1 tally was in line with those expectations: 92,153 votes for Johnson and 46,656 for Hunt. Turnout was 87.4%.
Prime Minister Theresa May, who stayed on in a caretaker capacity after stepping down as party leader last month, will formally tender her resignation Wednesday to Queen Elizabeth II. May and her predecessor David Cameron were both done in by Brexit, with May struggling for most of her three years in office to win lawmakers' approval for a deal to depart the EU.
Johnson, a former foreign minister, has insisted that if no Brexit accord can be reached, he is willing to "crash out" of the bloc without a deal _ a scenario most economists have said would be financially disastrous for Britain and have serious repercussions for the global economy.
A key architect of Brexit, Johnson was a ubiquitous figure during the run-up to the 2016 referendum vote, often citing highly questionable statistics to tout the benefits of abandoning the EU. But British news accounts have detailed how just before publicly jumping in on the "leave" side, he penned drafts of two side-by-side newspaper columns, passionately advocating for both positions, then making a last-minute decision.
And his premiership could even see a splintering of the United Kingdom. Scotland rejected an independence referendum in 2014, but the Brexit battle has revived breakaway sentiments because most Scots want to stay part of the EU. After Johnson won Tuesday's vote, Scotland's first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, said she had "profound concerns" about him becoming prime minister.
Johnson insists that a "can-do" attitude will allow Britain to either strike a favorable deal with the EU or weather the hardships of a no-deal exit. But several key Cabinet ministers have already announced they would not serve in a government under Johnson unless he backs off from his "do or die" stance on an Oct. 31 departure. And the Conservatives hold only a slim parliamentary majority.
The EU has already ruled out substantial changes to the deal it struck with May, which she repeatedly failed to get through Parliament. After the vote, the EU's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, tweeted that "We look forward to working constructively" with Johnson.
No matter how the incoming leader proceeds, tumultuous times lie ahead. Some observers have suggested that Johnson, known for policy flip-flops, could stage some dramatic reversal. Potential scenarios could include him abandoning his current willingness to depart the EU with no new trade agreement, throwing his support to a new referendum instead.
Other prospective events could include new elections or yet another delay in the Brexit implementation date.
As Johnson steps in, time is running out for a deal. Parliament will go into recess on Thursday and won't meet again until Sept. 3, leaving what many call a dauntingly short window to avert a chaotic departure from the bloc.
The leader-to-be brushed aside any qualms.
"Do you look daunted? Do you feel daunted?" he asked fellow Conservatives. "I don't think you look remotely daunted to me. ... The people of this country are trusting in us."
