Women and Adversity:
Ana Brnabić
Prime Minister of Serbia
Ana Brnabić, Prime Minister of Serbia (2023-e1691509876865.jpg)
We get into complicated territory when we talk of the Balkan Penisula, a region in southeastern Europe. Eleven countries comprise the Balkans and Serbia is one of them. Serbia didn’t become totally separate from the other Balkan states until 2008 when Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia. The 6.8 million people in Serbia populate 30 square miles. Its capital is Belgrade.
The Serbian Parliament accepted President Aleksandar Vucic’s choice of Ana Brnabić (pronounced Burr⸍ nah beech) as P.M., and it voted her into office in June 2017. She became the first woman and first openly gay prime minister of Serbia.
Vucic runs an autocratic government and Amnesty International cited him for human rights violations. He has strong ties to Russia and China. Critics say he chose Brnabic to show his government is enforcing reforms because he wants Serbia to become part of the European Union. Brnabić accepted because she says she is non-partisan and pro-European and identifies herself as a technocrat, a person who believes in reform based on technology. However, she joined the Serbian Progressive Party in 2019.
She says she doesn’t want to be a spokesperson for the LGBT community. “I don’t want to be branded as a gay minister, just as my colleagues don’t want to be primarily defined as being straight,” she said in her acceptance speech. “All I want is to do my job as best as I can.”
Brnabić bio:
Born — September 28, 1975 in Belgrade
1998 — Bachelor’s degree in business administration from Northwood University, Midland, Michigan
2001 — Master’s degree in marketing from University of Hull, England
Work History:
No dates given for:
Deputy manager of the Serbia Competitiveness Project
Expert on the Local Self-government Reform Program in Serbia
Senior coordinator of the Program of Economic Development of Municipalities
2006 — Active in foundation of the National Alliance for Local Economic Development
2013-2015 — Director of Continental Wind Serbia where she implemented an investment in a wind farm
Political Career:
2016-2017 — Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-Government
2017-present — Prime Minister
Goals:
Modernizing the Serbia government
Education reform
Digitization of government
Personal life:
Her partner gave birth to a boy in 2019.
Learn more about Ana Brnabić:
www.dw.com/en/ana-brnabic-a-female-leader-who-is-unlikely-to-change-history/a-56850681
www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-40297480
Ana Brnabic: Gay partner of Serbian PM gives birth – BBC News
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