The Labor Party is expected to take power in Australia for the first time since 2013, after voters ousted Prime Minister Scott Morrison's conservative administration, paving the way for more action on climate change, women's problems, and anti-corruption initiatives.
On Saturday night, Morrison admitted defeat and congratulated Anthony Albanese on the Labor Party's triumph in the 151-seat parliament. Labor won 72 seats, compared to 52 for Morrison's Liberal-National Coalition, with the rest going to independents and other parties, according to the Australian Broadcasting Commission.
"I think on a night like this, we can reflect on the greatness of our democracy in this nation, at a time like this, when we look around the world, and particularly when we see those in Ukraine battling for their own rights and liberty," Morrison said after conceding the race. "I congratulate Anthony Albanese and the Labor Party on their victory, and I wish him and his government nothing but success."
Climate-focused independents and the Green party, which had its best-ever performance, snatched seats from the two big parties that had previously been considered safe. The most famous politician to resign was Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, who was largely seen as the Liberal Party's future leader, generating new doubts about who will succeed Morrison, who announced his resignation as leader.
Labor's fortunes were not entirely bright. On the latest count, the party received roughly 32% of the primary vote, its worst showing in decades and the smallest margin for a new administration since World War II.
More on Australia's election can be found here:Albanese, a career politician with working-class background, will inherit an economy with low unemployment and the highest price increases since June 2001. In a country that exports more fossil fuels than any other country except Russia and Saudi Arabia, he's promised to raise worker salaries, enhance the social safety net, and do more to combat climate change.
Morrison's coalition trailed Labor in opinion polls throughout the campaign, as the nation's 26 million people grew upset with his handling of the epidemic and climate-change-related natural disasters. Morrison's net approval rating was roughly three times lower than that of his opponent in the final Newspoll poll before the election.
Albanese will face an early foreign-policy test when Australia's leader travels to Tokyo to meet with President Joe Biden, Japan's Fumio Kishida, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as part of the Quad meetings. In recent years, the alliance of democracies has gained traction as a critical counterweight to China's expanding economic and military power in the region.
Despite Morrison's efforts to portray Albanese as soft on China, the Labor Party pursued a policy toward Australia's major trading partner that was remarkably similar to the government's. Ties between the two countries have deteriorated in recent years, as Morrison demanded an investigation into the origins of Covid-19 and sought to limit Chinese political meddling, prompting Beijing to retaliate with economic sanctions.
Morrison's attempts to make national defense a central component of his campaign strategy were thwarted by China's security treaty with the Solomon Islands, which are about 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles) from Australia. Albanese promised to repair relations with the country's Pacific neighbors, describing the declaration as Canberra's worst foreign policy failure since World War II.
Despite polling showing support for Labor's campaign to address Australia's "cost of living issue," nobody in Albanese's team publicly projected victory following Morrison's "miracle" come-from-behind victory in 2019. The celebration can now begin.
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