Australian Prime Minister Morrison’s Conservative Party loses election

Incumbent Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s Conservative Party lost the Australian parliamentary elections Australian Broadcasting Corporation Saturday based on preliminary forecast. It appears that the opposition Labor Party can no longer afford to miss a victory after more than 60 per cent of the votes have been counted. Morrison has already admitted defeat.

A center-left Labor victory means that Anthony Albanese will take over from Morrison as prime minister. “Tonight I spoke with the leader of the opposition and future Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and congratulated him on his election victory,” Morrison said.

Morrison also announced his resignation as leader of the Australian Liberal Party. He has been Prime Minister since 2018.

Soon after Morrison congratulated him, Al-Albani gave a victory speech. He said that he wanted to reunite the country. “I think people want to come together and look for our common interest and look at this sense of common purpose. I think people have enough of a divide. They want to come together as a nation and I intend to lead that.”

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also congratulated Albania on Saturday on its victory. “Our country has a long history and a bright future together,” Johnson said.

Incoming Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese celebrates victory.

Big Parties Lose Seats to “Small Parties”

It is not yet clear whether the Labor Party will also get a majority in Parliament. If not, the party should try to form a minority government. In the ranking, Labor holds 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 Green Party. Morrison’s party currently holds 55 seats. There are still no fewer than thirteen seats to be allocated and shifts can still be made.

Morrison’s Conservative government has already lagged Labor in the polls. Lately there has been a lot of criticism of Morrison. Under his leadership, the country has opted for strict lockdowns to curb the spread of the coronavirus, which has left residents in cities like Melbourne and Sydney locked up for weeks. This led to many demonstrations. His approach to the climate and the way his government responded to floods this year have also received criticism.