Anna Brnabić, Speaker of the National Assembly of Serbia, is one of the most distinctive political figures in Balkan politics in recent years. She entered politics not from parliament, but from the business and non-governmental sectors, first holding a government position in 2016, and a year later becoming Serbia's first female prime minister. In 2024, she was elected head of parliament, and in September 2026, as a result of political changes in the country, she also temporarily began to exercise presidential powers.
Modern.az continues its articles about individuals leading parliaments in various countries around the world in the “Speakers” section. Our current presentation is about Anna Brnabić.
Came to politics from business
Anna Brnabić was born on September 28, 1975, in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. She received her higher education in the USA and Great Britain. Brnabić, who earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from Northwood University in Michigan, later obtained an MBA in marketing from Hull University in England in 2002.
Her activities before her political career are particularly noteworthy. Anna Brnabić has worked in various international organizations, with foreign investors, in local government bodies, and on US-funded development projects. She also worked on projects of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) in Serbia.
Later, in the business sector, she became the director of Continental Wind Serbia. The company was working on a project to create one of Serbia's first wind power plants in the municipality of Kovin, and at that time, the investment value of the project was estimated at approximately 300 million euros.
Anna Brnabić entered politics not as a classic political activist, but as a manager, businesswoman, and public administration specialist.
Became a minister for a year, then rose to prime minister
A. Brnabić's first position in the government was in 2016. In August of that year, she was appointed Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-Government.
One of the main areas she focused on during her tenure as minister was the digitalization of public services. Her official biography on the Serbian Parliament's website notes her role in the development of the e-government system, projects such as electronic registration of children, electronic registration of property taxes, and information exchange between government agencies.
It was this technocratic background that played a significant role in her political career.
In 2017, after Aleksandar Vučić was elected president, he nominated Anna Brnabić for the post of prime minister. At that time, she was 41 years old.
Parliament elected Brnabić as prime minister on June 29, 2017, making her Serbia's first female head of government. At the same time, she went down in history as the country's first openly homosexual head of government. In other words, Anna Brnabić openly declared her homosexuality to the public and did not hide it.
This appointment also attracted significant attention in the international media. This is because Serbia is considered one of the more socially conservative Balkan countries, and Brnabić's election was a significant symbolic change in the country's political history. At that time, international media specifically noted that she was Serbia's first openly homosexual prime minister.
Serbia's longest-serving prime minister
Anna Brnabić did not become head of government for a short period after being elected prime minister.
She led three governments from 2017 to 2024. Anna Brnabić has gone down in history as the country's longest-serving prime minister, with 80 months in office.
She was elected prime minister for the second time in 2020 and for the third time in 2022.
One of the main directions of her governments has been digitalization and technologies.
During A. Brnabić's premiership, the establishment of science and technology parks in Serbia was expanded, and investments in artificial intelligence and biotechnology increased. According to the Serbian government, four science and technology parks have started operating in Belgrade, Niš, Novi Sad, and Čačak.
Anna Brnabić stated in 2022 that Serbia's ICT services exports could exceed 2.6 billion euros. During that period, a supercomputer for artificial intelligence and new infrastructure for genomics were also being created in the country.
Moved to the Speaker's chair
A new stage began for Anna Brnabić in 2024.
In a vote held in the Serbian parliament on March 20, 2024, she was elected Speaker of the National Assembly with 153 votes. Thus, after leading the government for approximately seven years, she took over the leadership of the parliament.
As Speaker, her powers include representing the parliament, convening sessions, setting the agenda, and presiding over parliamentary sessions.
In July 2026, Anna Brnabić also chaired the conference of Speakers of Parliaments of EU candidate countries in Belgrade. At this meeting, the creation of a permanent cooperation format between the parliaments of the candidate countries was discussed.
Now she also exercises presidential powers
The newest page of Brnabić's political biography was written just these days.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić resigned from his post on September 27, 2026. Following this, according to constitutional rules, the president's powers passed to the Speaker of Parliament.
Thus, on September 28, Vučić handed over presidential powers to Brnabić. She will be the acting president of Serbia until a new president is elected. This period cannot exceed 90 days according to the constitution.
An interesting detail in her family roots
There is also a noteworthy point in Anna Brnabić's family history.
Her paternal grandfather, Anton Brnabić, was a Croat born in the village of Stara Baška on the island of Krk, Croatia. During World War II, he joined the Yugoslav partisans, and after the war, he served as a soldier and rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel. Anna Brnabić's paternal grandmother is a Serb from the village of Gorobilje near Požega, Serbia. Her maternal grandparents were from Babušnica.
Brnabić herself, speaking about this topic, stated that she is Serbian and has a special connection with the island of Krk. She spent part of her childhood summers on that island, and the family's house there later remained her property.
This detail turns her biography into a story that does not bypass the complex national history of the Balkans.
Serbia's first openly homosexual prime minister
One of the most striking features of Anna Brnabić in the world media is her personal life.
When she was elected prime minister in 2017, she became Serbia's first openly homosexual head of government. At that time, this fact caused widespread discussions in the country's conservative society.
In September of the same year, Brnabić participated in the Belgrade Pride parade. This is considered one of the symbolic steps in her political career. Brnabić stated at that event that the government respects all citizens.
However, her political activities related to LGBT rights have also caused controversy. Some human rights defenders have criticized her position in the government by comparing it with real changes in this area. For example, in 2017, some Serbian and Balkan LGBT organizations viewed her appointment more as a step aimed at improving the country's international image.
For this reason, Anna Brnabić's political portrait contains both historical "firsts" and different approaches regarding her government's policy on LGBT issues.
Her partner became a mother while she was prime minister
One of the most interesting events in Anna Brnabić's personal life occurred during her time as prime minister.
In February 2019, Milica Đurđić, Anna Brnabić's homosexual partner, gave birth to a baby boy. The child was named Igor. Sources write that Milica Đurđić became pregnant through artificial insemination and gave birth to the child. With this birth in February 2019, Ana Brnabić went down in history as the first prime minister in the world whose same-sex partner became a mother while in office.
Although Ana Brnabić herself did not give birth to the child, meaning biologically Milica is the child's mother, she introduces Igor as "my son." In other words, Anna Brnabić raises the child together with Milica Đurđić and refers to him as "my son" in her public appearances. Brnabić has also spoken about the child in some of her statements. For example, in one of her statements in 2024, she said that Igor has grown up and is unhappy with her working too much.
A.Gorkhmaz
