international

Tony Abbott returns to political life as Downer drops out of race for Liberal Party president

ABC Australia · May 22, 2026, 12:51 PM · Also reported by 3 other sources

Key takeaways

Tony Abbott will become the Liberal Party's president.
Tony Abbott will be named as the Liberal Party's new federal president.
Mr Abbott, 68, will be the only nominee for the position after Alexander Downer, former foreign minister, dropped out of the contest.

Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.

Tony Abbott will become the Liberal Party's president. (ABC News/7.30)

Tony Abbott will be named as the Liberal Party's new federal president.

Mr Abbott, 68, will be the only nominee for the position after Alexander Downer, former foreign minister, dropped out of the contest.

Article preview — originally published by ABC Australia. Full story at the source.

Read full story on ABC Australia → More top stories

Also covered by

The Guardian Tony Abbott to become new Liberal Party president in former PM’s return to political frontlines Pakistan Observer Is Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) new political party of India’s Gen-Z? The Hill When political party is prioritized over country, everyone loses

Aggregated and edited by the Scoop newsroom. We surface news from ABC Australia alongside other reporting so you can compare coverage in one place. Editorial policy · Corrections · About Scoop

Tony Abbott returns to political life as Downer drops out of race for Liberal Party president

Key takeaways

Also covered by

More in international