Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese won his second term, completing a stunning turnaround for his left-wing Labor Party in the center of his governing, which has delayed the polls for months as the craziest cost-of-living crisis shocked voters.
The ABC, the country's public broadcaster, called Mr Albanese's election just half an hour after the last poll on Saturday.
It was a huge defeat for the conservative opposition led by Peter Dutton, who had committed a campaign that was unhappy with the status quo but was linked to some of President Trump’s messaging and policies due to a series of campaign lapses.
ABC also expects Mr Dutton to lose his seat at his conservative Queensland stronghold, which he has served since 2001.
It is the third major ally to hold elections after Germany and Canada since Trump's second term began in January. Although Mr. Trump did not take the central position in the election as he did in Canada, global unrest caused by his trade and diplomatic decisions put pressure on Australian voters.
Whether Mr. Albanese's party will stick to its slim majority in parliament remains to be seen. The number of seats for independent and minor party candidates has set record numbers, or are being challenged, making Mr. Albany more likely to need smaller players to form the government.
Dissatisfaction with the two major political parties appears particularly sharp in the elections where Gen Z and millennial voters surpassed the baby boomers for the first time. Young voters are trapped in defection by two major political parties because they have little confidence to have a bold solution to the challenges facing the country.
“These guys are biting. More and more people are starting to feel like band aids for bullet wounds,” she said. While giving Mr. Albanese a second term, she said, “You choose the evil that is known over the evil that is unknown.”
