Calgary - Alberta residents will learn today who will be the new Premier of the province. Members of the United Conservative Party are concluding the voting process to choose a successor to Premier Jason Kenney.

Kenney announced in the spring that he would step down after receiving 51 percent in the party leadership vote.

There are 124,000 eligible voters, many of whom have already cast their ballots by mail. There will be in-person polling stations at five locations in different areas today, and the winner will be announced tonight in Calgary.

There are seven candidates in the race, including four former members of Kenney's government, but one-time Wildrose Party leader Danielle Smith is the favorite to win. Political observers and poll organizers said that whoever wins must start talking about the issues that concern Alberta residents.

The leadership debate has been dominated by ways the province can assert greater independence from the federal government. Polling expert Janet Brown and political science expert Lori Williams said Alberta residents are more concerned about inflation, long waits for healthcare, and emergency department overcrowding in hospitals.

Edited by: Yusra Bamtraf