Ana Brnabic: A female leader who is unlikely to change history Ana Brnabic's appointment as Serbia's first female and openly gay prime minister in 2017 came as a surprise. Back then, it seemed like she was the perfect candidate for the job. "Serbia gets its first female — and gay — prime minister," was just one of the headlines in the foreign press, published right after President Aleksandar Vucic confirmed Brnabic's appointment. A well-educated, hard-working, pro-European technocrat with close ties to some Western countries. In other words, nothing like a typical Balkan politician. Serbia's image was about to change, it seemed. The Conservative Balkan nation was changing course, distancing itself from intolerance, right-wing politicians and their supporters, breaking a long tradition of close-knit relations with Russia and instead following its path to modern society and integration into the EU.