Michael Ignatieff, the former Harvard University professor and globe-trotting journalist, was chosen today as the interim leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and the official leader of the parliamentary opposition, The Toronto Star reported..

He was elected by the party’s members of Parliament at a closed-door meeting this morning, but it remains unclear, according to The Globe and Mail, whether his rise could bring down the minority Conservative government, allowing him to try to become prime minister in January. For now, his biggest challenge is to rebuild the Liberal Party, which lost seats in last month’s election.

Mr. Ignatieff left Harvard in 2005 for the University of Toronto and then was elected to Parliament the following year. Following today’s vote, he will be endorsed by the party as a whole at its convention in May. —Karen Birchard