Serbia’s parliament picks former PM as speaker

Serbia’s newly-constituted parliament elected former Prime Minister Ana Brnabic as the new speaker at Wednesday’s session.
Brnabic, who is the vice-president of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) and has led the Serbian government since 2017, secured her position through a public parliamentary vote, receiving approval from 153 out of 250 members.
Brnabic’s appointment as speaker follows the elections held on Dec. 17, which saw the SNS-led coalition “Serbia Must not Stop” emerge victorious with 129 parliamentary seats.
Following Brnabic’s election as speaker, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivica Dacic was chosen to act as prime minister until a new government is elected.
The new parliament also appointed six deputy speakers and a general secretary, and selected members for various parliamentary boards, permanent delegations, and international bodies.