Australia’s embattled Liberals tap former PM Abbott as party president, reinforcing rightward shift
The Liberal Party of Australia has appointed former Prime Minister Tony Abbott as its president, marking a significant shift to the right. This move comes as the party faces challenges after recent electoral losses and competition from more populist right-wing groups. Abbott's leadership is seen as a strategy to revitalize the party and regain conservative support, although critics argue it reflects a failure to learn from past mistakes.
- ▪Tony Abbott has been appointed as the president of the Liberal Party of Australia.
- ▪The party is experiencing an existential crisis after significant electoral losses in recent years.
- ▪Polls indicate the Liberal Party could secure only 12 seats in the next election, its lowest ever.
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Australia’s struggling Opposition Liberal Party installed former Prime Minister Anthony John Abbott, a pugnacious social conservative and campaigner against climate action, as its president on Friday (May 29, 2026), reinforcing its swing to the right as it works to regain power.The centre-right Liberals dominated modern Australian politics but have been in turmoil after heavy election losses in 2022 and 2025 when they lost swathes of their traditional urban heartland to centrist independents and Labor. Opinion polls now show them falling behind a rising populist right, led by the One Nation party.
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