Australian deputy PM disqualified in citizenship row

The country's government loses majority after Barnaby Joyce was found to be a citizen of New Zealand

Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce has been removed from parliament
Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce has been removed from parliament
(Image credit: 2016 Getty Images)

The Australian High Court has unanimously ruled that the country's deputy prime minister, Barnaby Joyce, is ineligible to be an MP, removing the government’s single-seat majority in the lower house.

Joyce, along with four Senators, was disqualified because he held dual citizenship at the time he was elected, in contravention of Section 44 of the Australian constitution. Two other Senators have been allowed to stay.

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