Barnaby Joyce sworn back in as Deputy Prime Minister

Barnaby Joyce has been sworn back in as Deputy Prime Minister after the recent New England by-election.

The results of the by-election were officially announced by the Australian Electoral Commission at midday on Wednesday, where Joyce was also appointed Agriculture Minister.

Joyce won 65 per cent of the vote compared to Labor candidate David Ewing, who took 11 per cent.

It comes five weeks after he was declared ineligible to hold the seat amid the dual citizenship kerfuffle.

Read more: Triumphant Barnaby Joyce cruising to even bigger victory in by-election

Congratulations @Barnaby_Joyce! A stunning victory in New England and a demonstration of the strength of the Coalition. pic.twitter.com/VXCLrwrz1i

— Malcolm Turnbull (@TurnbullMalcolm) December 2, 2017

The New England by-election was called after the courts found that Joyce was a dual citizen of Australia and New Zealand and thus not qualified to have held the seat.

The Nationals’ deputy leader Fiona Nash was also disqualified, the court said, while the Liberals’ John Alexander resigned his seat of Bennelong on November 11 after being unable to confirm his citizenship status. 

His decision cost the government coalition its majority in the House of Representatives, and Turnbull’s control of the government relies on the majority being regained.

A by-election in Bennelong will be held on December 16, seeing former tennis champ Alexander come up against former New South Wales premier Kristina Keneally.

Nash has renounced her British citizenship but the situation surrounding the former senator for New South Wales is more complex, with the government still attempting to find a replacement for her.

Are you happy Joyce has been sworn back in as Deputy Prime Minister? What do you think of the dual citizenship debate?