Politics
A neck and neck contest in Australia’s national election held on Saturday sent the country into a state of political and economic instability as key independents dismissed the prospects of striking a deal with either of the major parties. The fallout of an uncertain outcome of national polls was immediately visible, with the Australian dollar and shares dipping in early trade on Monday.
Labor leader, Bill Shorten, criticized Australia’s Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull for delivering an “inferior and unstable outcome” and called for his resignation, writes The Guardian. Shorten compared Turnbull with Britain’s Prime Minister, David Cameron, saying that he leads a divided party and has no command over party members.
Over the past two days, leaders from both the center-left opposition Labor Party and the center-right coalition have been courting independent and minor parties to deal with the prospect of a hung parliament, notes Reuters. One of the four independents, Cathy McGowan, expressed concern over the way the government has been functioning and said she will wait for final results before deciding which side to support.
The Labor Party had secured 67 seats while the coalition won 65 when counting was paused on the weekend. It will take several days before the final result of the election is declared owing to new security measures imposed by the Australian Electoral Commission.
