Abbott Loses Competition to Turnbull; Australia's Prime Minister Changes

On Monday, September 23, Australia witnessed the rise of its fifth prime minister in eight years. Tony Abbott lost his position and the prime ministership during a vote for the leadership of the ruling Liberal Party, conceding to his longtime rival, Malcolm Turnbull. Mr. Turnbull, a millionaire and former technology entrepreneur, managed to defeat Tony Abbott in the Liberal Party's internal election with a vote of 54 to 44, simultaneously taking on the roles of party secretary and Prime Minister of Australia. The swearing-in ceremony for Australia's new prime minister is scheduled for tomorrow, Tuesday. In Australia, the leader of the party that holds the majority of seats in Parliament or the larger party in a coalition government is usually appointed as prime minister. The Liberal Party of Australia, a conservative party, formed the coalition government with several smaller conservative parties two years ago. According to Reuters, Julie Bishop, the country's foreign minister, was also elected as deputy leader of the party. Malcolm Turnbull stated before the internal election that 'overall, the prime minister has not succeeded in leading the country's economy in accordance with the needs of our nation.' He added that we need a different model of leadership. Tony Abbott had promised to tackle this challenge but failed to overcome the 'instability' that he claimed had arisen within the party in recent months. Reuters reports that Mr. Abbott did not speak to reporters after leaving the party building. Although Turnbull was preferred for the prime ministership in 2009, Abbott managed to oust him from the leadership of the Liberal Party. Turnbull's views on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, same-sex marriage, and establishing a republic in Australia had made him unpopular within the party's right wing. The challenge within the Liberal Party arose after Australia's $1.5 trillion economy faced issues regarding growth in the mining sector over the past century, and on the other hand, elections were to be held in Western Australia in the coming days, seen as a test for Abbott's leadership. In February, after weeks of conflict and promising to breathe new life into the coalition government, he found himself in a position of weakness due to his leadership. Since then, he and his government have consistently lost popularity in polls to the opposition Labor Party, fueling speculation about how long the party would give him to work.