Queensland elects female premier (BBC) {first for Oz}

[eppur_se_muova]

Australia has its first elected female state premier in its history after a vote in Queensland.

Anna Bligh led Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's centre-left Labor government to victory in the state election.

She took over in September 2007 after the mid-term retirement of veteran Labor Premier Peter Beatie.

A swing to the Liberal National Party was not enough for its leader, Lawrence Springborg, and he has conceded defeat and sent her his congratulations.

But Mr Rudd will probably think twice about holding an early national election given the nearly 4% surge in support for the Liberal National Party, say correspondents.
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more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7956440.stm




Ozzies -- what does this mean in left/right, liberal/conservative terms familiar to USAians? From the article, it sounds like the conservatives are still in power in Queensland.