Headed by a female gay Prime Minister (now for the second time) and women filling up half of the ministerial posts, Serbia’s recently proposed new-look government is one of the most gender-balanced in the world. Ana Brnabic who became the first female Prime Minister of the country in 2017 announced the new lineup of ministers on Sunday after being elected for the second time. This proposed lineup will bring Serbia into the global top 10 for gender equality.

President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic selected openly gay Ana Brnabic as the country’s first female prime minister in 2017, while the posts of parliament speaker and central bank governor are also held by women. Almost two-fifths of the legislature’s 250 seats are held by women, nearing are the presentation target set before the June general election.

After a resounding victory in that vote, Vucic called for a “revolutionary” change as he announced Brnabic’s re-appointment. In this context, he said, “Thus, we would represent our country in the best possible way and show, not in words but with action, how gender equality works in practice”.

Brnabic in her first term had raised the proportion of women in the government. Some of the new arrivals include women leading ministries for economy, justice, energy and mining, environmental protection, labour, culture, and human rights. Serbian Parliament is expected to approve the new cabinet in the coming week. Vucic’s opponents assert that loyalty trumps gender in a country that is dominated by his Serbian Progressive Party.

The main drive of Brnabic’s government has been to progress Serbia’s plan to connect into the European Union this decade. At the same time, the nation has been jolted in a standoff over its refusal to recognize its neighbor Kosovo, which unilaterally declared its freedom from Belgrade in 2008, a decade after the two sides fought the final war within the violent breakup of Yugoslavia. Speaking at a joint press conference with Brnabic at the party headquarters on Sunday, Vucic said that the new government will proceed with the current policies.

The author is a student member of Amity Centre of Happiness.