Liz Truss lasted just 45 days — who are Europe’s other short-term leaders?
British Prime Minister Liz Truss has resigned after just 45 days on the job. She only formally took over from Boris Johnson on 6 September, but after a premiership of chaotic policy decisions, freefalling economic indicators, media gaffes and high-profile resignations — not to mention opinion polls which saw her Conservative Party slump while the opposition Labour Party surged — Truss called it quits.
Truss is officially Britain’s shortest-serving prime minister ever, beating the next candidate George Canning who was PM for 118 days until he died in office in the 1820s.
Who are some of the other short-term prime ministers in Europe?
We’ve put together a (non-exhaustive) list with some of the highlights from the last 50 years or so of politics, with politicians who served 200 days or fewer - excluding those who were caretakers or interim PMs (ruling out at least one Portuguese politician, a Greek, a Finn, two Serbs and a Spaniard from our list!)
Abazović is the most recent casualty among European prime ministers, having lost his seat after a parliamentary no-confidence vote on 20 August - but he remains in office for the time being.
The leader of the liberal-green URA party came to office after the previous government also collapsed in April, as political allies fell out over lack of progress, nationalism and obstructionism, a practice where laws and policies are deliberately delayed.
Abazović’s own coalition of largely pro-European and minority parties fell apart after he signed the controversial property agreement with the Serb Orthodox Church in early August, sparking immediate protests by the opposition as local media reported the contract was signed in secret.
The new prime minister of Montenegro is yet to be named.
Paul
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