The Liberal Democrat party has elected Tim Farron — one of eight Lib Dem politicians remaining after an electoral drubbing in May — as the party's new leader.
The party announced Thursday that Farron had received 19,137 votes from party members compared to 14,760 for rival Norman Lamb.
THANK YOU! This is a liberal country. Our job now is to turn millions of liberals throughout the UK into Liberal Democrats #LibDemFightback— Tim Farron (@timfarron) July 16, 2015
Farron faces the task of rebuilding a decimated, demoralized party. The Liberal Democrats were the junior party in the previous Conservative-led government from 2010 to May 2015 — alienating many supporters who saw the party back policies it had previously opposed, including higher university tuition fees.
The general election on May 7 reduced the Lib Dems from 56 seats in Parliament to eight. Most of the party's best-known figures lost their seats and former deputy prime minister Nick Clegg resigned as party leader.