Malcolm Turnball has been elected by 45 to 41 votes to lead the Australian Liberal Party.
Mr. Turnball chaired the Australian Republican movement in the 1990s. When the referendum on a republic was lost he said that the then Liberal prime minister, John Howard would be remembered for “only one thing: he was the prime minister who broke the nation’s heart”. Mr. Howard was widely believed to be responsible for the failure to achieve a majority for an Australian republic.
Following Mr. Turnball’s election, prime minister and Labour Party leader Kevin Rudd said he looked forward to working with him on “our move towards a republic”.