Serb Leader Puts Independent on Path to Become First Openly Gay Premier
Source: Bloomberg
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic named an independent politician with experience in local government to replace him as prime minister, as he balances pushing the country toward European Union entry while keeping close ties with Russia.
Ana Brnabic, 42, is a political novice who took the helm of Vucic’s Public Administration Ministry last year. The first openly gay woman to be picked to lead a government in southeastern Europe, she has dealt with international organizations and foreign investors but holds little influence. Critics say that, as head of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party, Vucic may use the nomination of the little-known official to shift power from the premiership to the nominally ceremonial presidency and rule behind the scenes.
“Naming Brnabic as a non-partisan is Vucic’s concession to the West and contrary to Russian expectations,” Bosko Jaksic, an independent foreign policy analyst at the New Policy Center in Belgrade, said by phone.
Read more: https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-06-15/serb-leader-puts-independent-on-path-to-become-first-gay-premier
