Serbian lawmakers on Thursday elected
Ana Brnabic, who is openly lesbian, to be the nation's next prime
minister.
According to the
AP, Parliament approved President Aleksandar Vucic's nomination
with a 157-55 vote.
“If elected in parliament, I will run
the government with dedication and responsibility and I will do my
job honestly and with love,” Brnabic, 41, told state Tanjug news
agency earlier this month.
News of Brnabic's nomination came just
days after Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar made history as
Ireland's first openly gay taoiseach, or prime minister.
The BBC's Guy De Launey said that
Brnabic's role is likely to be largely symbolic and that Vucic will
continue to run the government. He added that in this case, because
anti-LGBT rhetoric remains high in Serbia, the symbolism carries real
weight.
Belgium and Iceland have had openly gay
heads of state, while Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel in 2015
became the
first European Union leader to marry a person of the same sex while
in office.