In the Australian general election, the ruling Labor Party led by Anthony Albanese has successfully retained power.
According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on the 3rd (local time), with about 41% of the votes counted, the Labor Party was in the lead with 86 of the 150 House of Representatives seats. Analysts believe that the possibility of securing a majority of 76 seats is very high.
The coalition of the opposition Liberal and National parties holds 39 seats, while minor parties and independents are leading with 10 seats each, and the outcome of 15 seats has yet to be determined.
ABC observed that the Labor Party achieved a major victory or at least won in the general election. If this result is accurate, Prime Minister Albanese, who took office following the 2022 general election, will be able to lead Australia again for the next three years.
In particular, he becomes the first Australian prime minister in 21 years to succeed in reelection since John Howard, who won the 2004 election and was in office until 2007.
On the other hand, Peter Dutton, leader of the Liberal Party who led the Liberal-National coalition, reportedly lost his parliamentary seat to a Labor Party candidate even in his own electorate of Dickson in northeastern Queensland. Dutton acknowledged the election defeat in a speech to supporters that day.
However, considering the advance vote counts, which account for about one-third of the total voters with approximately 6.7 million votes, Bloomberg reported that it may take time for the final election results, including seat distribution, to become definitive.
The Labor Party initially faced sluggish approval ratings until February due to soaring prices after coming to power. However, as uncertainties regarding external factors, such as U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff attacks on Australia, emerged as the biggest issue in the election instead of domestic economic difficulties, their approval ratings bounced back.