Australian Greens party leader resigns

Canberra, May 6: Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has paid tributes to Greens party leader Christine Milne who announced her shock resigtion on Wednesday. Setor Milne, 61, who had led Australia’s third-largest political party for three years, broke the news on social media with a tweet saying: “Feeling optimistic, proud & sad to announce I’m not contesting 2016 election, and so I resign as Leader of Australian Greens.” In a vote taken by the 11 federal Greens MPs, doctor and public health expert Richard Di tale was elected leader while Queensland setor Larissa Waters and West Australian setor Scott Ludlam were elected as “co-deputy leaders”, Xinhua reported.

Deputy leader Adam Bandt, the party’s only lower house MP to be re-elected in the party’s 23-year history, did not contest for the deputy position. (IANS)