Australian general election: Fierce race

Preliminary vote counting results on the night of May 21 (local time) showed that Labor leader Anthony Albanese had won the election. Prime Minister Scott Morrison also conceded defeat and congratulated Mr. Albanese on his victory, and announced he would step down as leader of the Liberal Party.

The election is a fierce race between the Liberal-National coalition of Prime Minister Scott Morrison and the opposition Labor Party. The party that wins at least 76 seats out of 151 seats in the House of Representatives will have the right to form a government. The leader of the ruling party or coalition will become prime minister for the next term.

The Australian Electoral Commission has said that if the race is tight, the official winner could be known later than expected, especially as it takes more time to count the 3 million by-mail ballots. .

Voters cast their ballots in the suburbs of Sydney on May 21 in the Australian general election. Photo: REUTERS

In the event that neither side wins a majority of seats in the House of Commons (then known as “hanging parliament”), the major political parties will have to negotiate and ally with smaller parties and independents to ensure a enough seats to lead the country for the next 3 years.

Reuters small parties and independent candidates can benefit as more and more voters are dissatisfied with the policies of the major parties.

This election campaign revolves around hot issues such as rising cost of living, climate change, relationship with China…

Prime Minister Morrison focused on highlighting his achievements in power, including the lowest unemployment rate in nearly 50 years. Meanwhile, Labor leader Anthony Albanese focused on soaring inflation and slow wage growth.