Malcolm Turnbull has been sworn in as Australia’s fourth prime minister in three years, following the ousting of Tony Abbott due to a party leadership tussle.
Turnbull, who was communications minister under Abbott, joins Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard and his ex-principal as the country’s fourth prime minister since 2013.
Turnbull took the oath of office on Tuesday, after winning his party’s room ballot by 54 votes to 44 last night, less than six hours after announcing he would challenge Abbott.
“It was a long night, and it’s going to be a big day today. This is a turn of events I did not expect, I have to tell you, but it’s one that I’m privileged to undertake, and one that I’m certainly up to,” he told journalists after the vote.
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Abbott, who lost the challenge, said it had been “a tough day, but when you join the game, you accept the rules”. He lamented that party member carried out “a sour, bitter character assassination”.
According to BBC, Turnbull, in his first question time session in parliament, paid tribute to Abbott, and said these were “the most exciting times to be an Australian”.
“The future is one of great opportunities and that requires confidence and leadership and it will be lost if we embrace the politics of fear and scaremongering.”
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Julie Bishop, who retained her seat as deputy PM, supported Turnbull in ousting Abbott, saying “a number of people felt that he hadn’t met their expectations”.
Abbott led the country for one year and 361 days. His tenure was Australia’s 10th shortest in 115 years.
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