Tony Abbott to be named new Liberal Party president

Former prime minister Tony Abbott will be nominated unopposed to become the next federal leader of the Liberal Party.

Mr Abbott will be the sole candidate for the Conservative party’s top executive role and this will be confirmed at a federal council meeting in Melbourne next week, a senior Liberal official told AAP late on Friday.

“He will be elected unopposed,” the official said, referring to Mr. Abbott, who served as coalition prime minister from 2013 to 2015.

Former foreign minister Alexander Downer has been nominated as the party’s deputy chairman and is one of five candidates for four second-in-command positions, the official said.

Local media reports say Mr Downer will vie for the deputy leader role after withdrawing from the race with Mr Abbot for the top job in the party’s organizational wing.

The new role will mark the return to the political scene for Mr Abbott, who lost the Sydney seat of Warringah in the 2019 federal election.