The results of Saturday's Australian election are still too close to call, with the count failing to deliver either major party enough seats to form a majority government.
Counting was suspended in the early hours of Sunday morning, when the opposition Labor Party appeared to be leading with 72 seats, with the government's Liberal National Coalition holding 66 seats.
It has since resumed, but the Electoral Commission has warned it could take "up to a month" for the rest of the vote to be finalised.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Independents look likely to take five seats and a further seven seats are still too close to call.
The result means that both of the major parties will require the support of key independents to form even a minority government and will still have to deal with a hostile upper house.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull had gambled on a double dissolution election in order to stabilise the Australian government after anti-union legislation was rejected twice in the upper house. However, after a marathon eight-week campaign, the result has brought yet more political chaos.
"Instead of ending Australia's dismal decade of politics, the election appears to have set it up for another round," says Sydney Morning Herald political editor Peter Hartcherd. "There is still a chance that the election might lead to sanity and stability, but hope is dimming fast."
Turnbull and Labor leader Bill Shorten have both reportedly started canvassing support from independent crossbench MPs. Despite the political uncertainty, Turnbull is confident he will be able to form a majority government.
-
‘Autarky and nostalgia aren’t cure-alls’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Japan’s Princess Aiko is a national star. Her fans want even more.IN THE SPOTLIGHT Fresh off her first solo state visit to Laos, Princess Aiko has become the face of a Japanese royal family facing 21st-century obsolescence
-
Australia’s teen social media ban takes effectSpeed Read Kids under age 16 are now barred from platforms including YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat and Reddit
-
Femicide: Italy’s newest crimeThe Explainer Landmark law to criminalise murder of a woman as an ‘act of hatred’ or ‘subjugation’ but critics say Italy is still deeply patriarchal
-
Brazil’s Bolsonaro behind bars after appeals run outSpeed Read He will serve 27 years in prison
-
Americans traveling abroad face renewed criticism in the Trump eraThe Explainer Some of Trump’s behavior has Americans being questioned
-
Nigeria confused by Trump invasion threatSpeed Read Trump has claimed the country is persecuting Christians
-
Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime ministerIn the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
