Source: Politics<\/p>\n
CANBERRA, Australia \u2014 Australia\u2019s prime minister conceded defeat after an election Saturday that could deliver a minority government.<\/p>\n
Scott Morrison acted quickly despite millions of votes yet to be counted because an Australian prime minister must attended a Tokyo summit on Tuesday with U.S., Japanese and Indian leaders.<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe it\u2019s very important that this country has certainty. I think it\u2019s very important this country can move forward,\u201d Morrison said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd particularly over the course of this week with the important meetings that are being held, I think it\u2019s vitally important there\u2019s a very clear understanding about the government of this country,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Opposition leader Anthony Albanese will be sworn in as prime minister after his Labor party clenched its first electoral win since 2007.<\/p>\n
Labor has promised more financial assistance and a robust social safety net as Australia grapples with the highest inflation since 2001 and soaring housing prices.<\/p>\n
The party also plans to increase minimal wages, and on the foreign policy front, it proposed to establish a Pacific defense school to train neighboring armies in response to China\u2019s potential military presence on the Solomon Islands on Australia\u2019s doorstep.<\/p>\n
It also wants to tackle climate change with a more ambitious 43 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.<\/p>\n
Morrison’s Liberal party-led coalition was seeking a fourth three-year term. It holds the narrowest of majorities \u2014 76 seats in the 151-member House of Representatives, where parties need a majority to form a government.<\/p>\n
In early counting on Saturday, the coalition was on track to win 38 seats, Labor 71, seven were unaligned lawmakers and 23 were too close to call.<\/p>\n
Minor parties and independents appeared to be taking votes from the major parties, which increases the likelihood of a hung parliament and a minority government.<\/p>\n
Australia most recent hung parliaments were from 2010-13, and during World War II.<\/p>\n
A record proportion of postal votes because of the pandemic, which won\u2019t be added to the count until Sunday, adds to the uncertainty in early counting.<\/p>\n
As well as campaigning against Labor, Morrison\u2019s conservative Liberals fought off a new challenge from so-called teal independent candidates to key government lawmakers\u2019 reelection in party strongholds.<\/p>\n
At least four Liberal lawmakers appeared to have lost their seats to teal independents including Liberal Party deputy leader Josh Frydenberg, who had been considered Morrison\u2019s most likely successor.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we have achieved here is extraordinary,\u201d teal candidate and former foreign correspondent Zoe Daniels said in her victory speech. \u201cSafe Liberal seat. Two-term incumbent. Independent,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
The teal independents are marketed as a greener shade than the Liberal Party\u2019s traditional blue color and want stronger government action on reducing Australia\u2019s greenhouse gas emissions than either the government or Labor are proposing.<\/p>\n
The government\u2019s Senate leader Simon Birmingham was concerned by big swings toward several teal candidates.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is a clear problem that we are losing seats that are heartland seats, that have defined the Liberal Party for generations,\u201d Birmingham said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we lose those seats \u2014 it is not certain that we will \u2014 but there is clearly a big movement against us and there is clearly a big message in it,\u201d Birmingham added.<\/p>\n
Due to the pandemic, around half of Australia\u2019s 17 million electors have voted early or applied for postal votes, which will likely slow the count.<\/p>\n
Voting is compulsory for adult citizens and 92 percent of registered voters cast ballots at the last election.<\/p>\n
Early polling for reasons of travel or work began two weeks ago and the Australian Electoral Commission will continue collecting postal votes for another two weeks.<\/p>\n
The government changed regulations on Friday to enable people recently infected with Covid-19 to vote over the phone.<\/p>\n
Electoral Commissioner Tom Rogers said more than 7,000 polling stations opened as planned and on time across Australia despite 15% of polling staff falling sick this week with Covid-19 and flu.<\/p>\n
Albanese said he had thought Morrison would have called the election last weekend because Australia\u2019s prime minister is expected at a Tokyo summit on Tuesday with U.S. President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we get a clear outcome today then whoever is prime minister will be on a plane to Tokyo on Monday, which isn\u2019t ideal, I\u2019ve got to say, immediately after a campaign,\u201d Albanese said.<\/p>\n
Analysts have said that Morrison left the election until the latest date available to him to give himself more time to reduce Labor\u2019s lead in opinion polls.<\/p>\n