Malcolm Turnbull ousted as Australia's prime minister

Malcolm Turnbull.
(Image credit: Mak Graham/AFP/Getty Images)

Australia's Liberal Party forced out Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on Friday, and he'll be replaced by Scott Morrison, the current treasurer.

Morrison, Turnbull's preferred candidate, received 45 votes in an internal Liberal Party contest on Friday, with Peter Dutton, the former home affairs minister, receiving 40 votes. Conservatives in the party have said they do not think Turnbull is far enough to the right, and his poll numbers are low. It's been more than 10 years since an Australian prime minister has served an entire term.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.