The Australian opposition Labor party will lead the parliamentary elections in the country, the Australian Broadcasting Company (ABC) reported today in its initial forecasts. If the side does win, centre-left Anthony Albanese will take over from Scott Morrison as Australia’s prime minister. Morrison has been Prime Minister since 2018.
The current prime minister has already admitted his defeat. “I spoke tonight with the opposition leader and future prime minister, Anthony Albanese, and congratulated him on his election victory,” Morrison said. Although not all votes have been counted yet, he says it is likely that his opponent can form a government. Morrison also announced his resignation as leader of Australia’s Liberal Party.
Albanian says in a first reaction that it wants to reunite the country. “I think people want to come together, look for our common interest, look for that sense of common purpose. I think people have had enough of division, what they want is to come together as a nation and I intend to lead that.”
greener
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has congratulated Albanian on his victory. He promised to work together on trade and to make the world ‘greener’. “Our countries have a long history and a bright future together,” Johnson said.
However, it is not yet clear whether the Social Democratic Labor Party will also gain a majority in parliament. If not, the party must try to form a minority government.
With nearly 60 percent of the vote counted, Labor has about 72 seats. 76 seats are needed for a majority in parliament. Both Labor and Morrison’s conservative party appear to be losing seats to smaller parties, such as the environmentally conscious Australian Greens party. Morrison’s party currently has 55 seats. However, there are still at least 13 seats to be allocated and shifts can still take place.
Criticism
Morrison’s Conservative government has already trailed Labor in opinion polls. There has been a lot of criticism of the prime minister in recent times. Under his leadership, the country opted for strict lockdowns to curb the spread of the coronavirus, which has left populations in cities such as Melbourne and Sydney locked up for weeks. That led to many demonstrations. His climate approach and the way in which his government responded to floods this year also received criticism.
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