Ted Baillieu, Premier of Victoria resigned Wednesday night explaining that “a change of leadership is in the best interests of the government”
The minister for Regional Cities, Ports, Racing and Major Projects Denis Napthine was named named Premier. He declared that he would “lead the party to the next elections”.
Mr Napthine who is 61 was previously a minister in the Kennet government and then leader of the Liberal Party before being ousted and replaced by current Melbourne Lord Mayor Robert Doyle.
Baillieu’s resignation came after a tumultuous day in Victorian politics which saw the scandalous Liberal MP Jeff Shaw quit the Liberal Party to sit as an independent in the lower house of parliament, effectively reducing the government’s majority to just one seat.
Baillieu’s resignation also follows three days of revelations after the release of illegal voice recordings from within his office, obtained by Melbourne’s Herald Sun newspaper.
