Australia's Liberal Party ousted Prime Minister Tony Abbott on Tuesday in favor of Malcolm Turnbull. He will be the country's fifth prime minister in eight years. The former tech entrepreneur won the center-right party's secret vote 54 to 44, chief whip Scott Buchholz announced after a meeting in Canberra. The decisive vote took place after months of infighting and eroding voter support, Reuters says.
Abbott reportedly "continued to defy popular opinion inside and outside his party, despite pledging to be more consultative, blocking his MPs from supporting same-sex marriage and announcing an emissions reduction target criticized as inadequate by environmental groups," Reuters reports. His tenure was also beleaguered by his proneness to gaffes.
"Ultimately, the prime minister has not been capable of providing the economic leadership our nation needs," Turnbull said of Abbott ahead of the vote. "We need a different style of leadership." Abbott had ousted Turnbull as leader of the Liberal Party in 2009.
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