Armenian Gladys Berejiklian named first elected female Premier of NSWMarch 25, 2019 - 10:57 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenian-Australian Gladys Berejiklian has become the first elected female Premier of Australia’s largest state of New South Wales, reports the Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC-AU). Victory in the town of Dubbo delivered the 47th seat to the Berejiklian government giving it a one-seat majority in the 93-seat NSW legislative assembly. A gracious Berejiklian thanked many in her speech, reserving special praise for the people of New South Wales: “No matter your background or where you live, you can be the Premier of New South Wales – a state where someone with a long surname and a woman can be the Premier.” The Berejiklian government rules through a coalition of the Liberal and National parties, and the one-seat majority means it will not need the support of independent cross-benchers in order to pass legislation. Berejiklian’s victory has ensured she also makes history as the first leader of the Liberal (LIB) and National (NAT) Coalition to lead her political party to a third consecutive term in office. “This is a historic day for Armenian-Australians and for the global Armenian community, as Ms Berejiklian continues to be the most powerful Armenian woman in world politics; this time being elected in her own right to lead the executive branch of a government that runs a state of 7 million people – the largest state of a G20 nation,” said ANC-AU Executive Director, Haig Kayserian. “The Armenian community of New South Wales is filled with joy, as support for Ms Berejiklian extends beyond party politics – the opportunity for an Armenian-Australian, for ‘Our Gladys’ to be elected was too big not to get completely behind,” Kayserian added. Top stories The EU does not intend to conduct military exercises with Armenia, Lead Spokesperson for EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Peter Stano says. A telephone conversation between Putin and Pashinyan before the CSTO summit is not planned, Peskov says. London’s Armenian community has been left feeling “under attack” after the city’s Genocide monument was vandalised. The United States believes there should be an international mission to provide transparency. Partner news | Turkey extends military presence in Azerbaijan The Turkish parliament has adopted a bill submitted by Recep Tayyip Erdogan to extend the mandate of Turkish troops. Russia to begin assessing migrant workers' speaking skills Rosobrnadzor is planning to change the Russian language exam for migrant workers and include an assessment of speaking skills Armenian, Saudi Foreign Minister meet in Riyadh The two commended the positive dynamics of the development of political dialogue between Armenia and Saudi Arabia Pashinyan: Azerbaijan’s proximity shouldn’t worry border residents At the same time, he said that he “does not guarantee [the security of villagers] one hundred percent”. |