Australia held its federal election on Saturday, May 3, with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announcing a successful re-election for his center-left Labor Party and stating that they will form a majority government.
When Albanese declared victory, supporters gathered at the Labor election party in Sydney cheered and embraced each other.
The Labor Party’s win marks Albanese as the first Australian Prime Minister to win re-election in over twenty years since John Howard in 2004.
Opposition leader of the Liberal Party, Peter Dutton, had hoped to win the election but lost his seat in the Brisbane suburbs after more than 20 years.
In his concession speech, Dutton took responsibility for the election loss. He mentioned calling Albanese to congratulate him and also spoke with Ali France, the Labor candidate who will replace him in the Dickson electorate.
“We did not perform well in this election, and that was clearly evident tonight, and I take full responsibility for that,” Dutton said. “Earlier, I reached out to the Prime Minister to congratulate him on his success tonight. It is a historic moment for the Labor Party, and we acknowledge that.”
Polling stations opened at 8 am and closed at 6 pm, with a total of 18 million registered voters.
Preliminary results released by the Australian Electoral Commission website showed that the Labor Party is leading the Liberal-National Coalition with 55.94% to 44% support.
The Electoral Commission predicts that Labor will secure 70 out of the 150 seats in the House of Representatives, while the conservative opposition coalition is expected to win 24 seats. Non-aligned minor parties and independent candidates could secure 13 seats.
Analyst Antony Green from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) predicts that Labor will win 76 seats, the Coalition will win 36 seats, and non-aligned representatives will secure 13 seats.
Polls indicate that energy policy, cost of living pressures, and concerns about the policies of U.S. President Trump have been the top concerns for voters.