Also, with concern of Turnbull’s future as Prime Minister, Anglican Minister, Ross Weaver said, “Well, it’s a poison chalice really because his biggest problem is a hopelessly divided party and the knives will be out to get him because he didn’t do well enough in the election”.
Advertisement
The story Malcolm Turnbull: “We have won the election” first appeared on The Sydney Morning Herald.
Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce had already declared victory earlier in the day after the Coalition recorded growing leads on postal votes in the seats of Capricornia and Flynn.
There is pressure on the Liberal leader to give the Nationals an extra frontbench role, after the party gained an extra seat in the election, and conservative Liberals are seeking a stronger position in the ministry line-up. After years of political discord, with six prime ministers in eight years, the main parties’ share of the primary vote dropped to the lowest level since 1943.
Though the question of who won the July 2 election was answered, the question of exactly how the conservatives will rule the fractured Parliament was not.
The coalition has so far gained 42 percent of public support, election results with 79.6 percent of votes counted suggest while Labor Party has gained just 35 percent.
Both Turnbull and Shorten said they supported an inquiry into electronic voting, amid the protracted counting process.
“I don’t envy Mr. Turnbull”, Shorten said Sunday in a concession speech.
Yet the election was not entirely resolved.
The opposition Australian Labor Party won 69 seats, and the remaining five went to smaller parties or independent candidates. It could take days or weeks to resolve the final tally.
“He said it was unclear whether that will be a minority government, or a majority government of one or two seats”.
“I think the nation, the people of Australia, made it clear they want the Parliament to work”, Mr Shorten said. “Regrettably, several ministers have not been returned and so there will be some changes”, Turnbull said on Monday.
The coalition entered the race with a comfortable majority of 90 seats, and few had predicted it would suffer such steep losses.
Even so, Mr Turnbull faces an uphill task to get the Senate to pass two Bills related to restoring a construction union watchdog.
The coalition still remains short of the 76 seats it needs to claim a majority in the lower house, the House of Representatives.
Standard and Poor’s slashed Australia’s credit rating outlook to negative from stable last week, threatening a downgrade of its coveted triple A status, over a potential budget deadlock.
The election was one of the closest in 50 years.
The coalition is now expected to secure 74 seats, and potentially two more, according to national broadcaster ABC’s projections.
His comments came after opposition Labor Leader Bill Shorten conceded defeat and congratulated him.
“I hope for our nation’s sake the coalition does a good job”, Shorten told reporters in Melbourne.
Advertisement
The silver-haired grandfather immediately pledged to provide economic leadership, while being a more consultative leader, restoring traditional cabinet government and ending policy-on-the-run.
