Australia-Elections: Government does not appear to be securing a majority of seats

The ruling Conservative Alliance in Australia is not expected to secure enough seats to form a government in today’s election, as predicted by two television stations.

According to the vote count so far, the conservative alliance of Prime Minister Scott Morrison and the opposition Labor Party is losing ground in favor of smaller parties and independent candidates focusing on combating climate change, which is unlikely to increase.

“At the moment, with these numbers, I do not see the (government) alliance securing a majority,” election analyst Anthony Green told ABC Live.

“At the moment, the coalition does not seem to be reaching 76,” he said, referring to the smaller number of seats required for a party to have autonomy in the 151-seat parliament.

At the same time, News Corp’s satellite network, Sky News, reported that “Sky predicts that the alliance can not win a majority of seats.”

Australians are voting today to elect members of their new parliament, a vote that was originally intended to be ambiguous and meant a return to Labor power after nine years of Conservative rule.

The 17.2 million voters will elect the 151 members of the House of Representatives for a three-year term, as well as forty of the 76 members of the Senate. The party or alliance that secures the most seats in the lower house will automatically take over the formation of the next government.

Labor leader Anthony Albanyzi, the front-runner in the polls to take over as prime minister, has admitted that an “ambiguous” battle is expected.

In recent days, outgoing Conservative Prime Minister Scott Morrison, in power since 2018, seems to have reduced the Labor lead, yet he is still on the verge of defeat.

Source: AMPE