Serbia president names gay woman as PM in Balkan first

Belgrade: Serbia`s president on Thursday named Ana Brnabic as the next prime minister, making her the first openly gay premier in the conservative Balkan region and the first Serbian woman in the top job.

Brnabic, 41, will take up the top job less than a year after she entered politics, becoming public administration minister last August.

The appointment makes her Serbia`s first female prime minister and the first openly gay premier in the Balkans, where homosexuality remains a taboo in many parts of the region.

"I decided to propose Ana Brnabic as a prime minister-designate to the parliament of Serbia," President Aleksandar Vucic told reporters.

She is expected to take office as prime minister in the next few weeks.