Labor Anthony Albanese is elected Prime Minister
The Labor Party won the legislative elections in Australia, ousting Conservative Scott Morrison from power, whose inaction against climate change was sanctioned by voters.
Anthony Albanese (centre) celebrating his victory with his wife and son.
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Mr. Albanese, 59, is not certain this late Saturday evening of obtaining the absolute majority in the House of Representatives which would allow him to govern without having to find allies. But, assured of the largest number of MPs, he proclaimed his victory, saying that Australians had “voted for change”, and indicated that he would take office on Monday.
In the process, he announced his participation in the Quad summit (United States, India, Japan, Australia), scheduled for Tuesday in Tokyo in the company of his future Minister of Foreign Affairs, Penny Wong.
“Tonight I spoke to the Leader of the Opposition and the new Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, and congratulated him on his election victory,” Mr Morrison said.
According to projections by the ABC channel after counting more than half of the votes, the Labor Party won 72 MPs out of 151, four seats less than an absolute majority. After three years marked by major natural disasters and the pandemic, Australians have voted for an unusual number of ‘small’ pro-environment candidates, who could hold the keys to power by negotiating their support for Mr Albanese if he does not did not reach an absolute majority.
The acclaimed “teals”
The Green Party and independent candidates dubbed “teals” – mostly women advocating environmental protection, gender equality and anti-corruption – were poised to win a streak of urban ridings traditionally devolved to the Conservatives. “People have said that the climate crisis is something they want to do something about,” exulted Adam Bandt, leader of the Green Party.
“We just had three years of drought, then fires and now floods and more floods. People can see it, it’s happening, it’s getting worse,” he added.
Mr Morrison had resisted calls to cut Australia’s CO2 emissions faster by 2030, and wholeheartedly supported the coal industry, one of the driving forces of the country’s economy. Lagging behind in the polls for a year, he had taken advantage of the economic recovery and an unemployment rate currently at its lowest in 48 years. He had portrayed his Labor rival as a “free spirit” unfit to lead the economy.
A greener prime minister
Anthony Albanese, from the working classes and raised by a single mother in Sydney council housing, will be Australia’s first head of government not to have an Anglo-Saxon or Celtic surname.
He pledged to end Australia’s lag in tackling climate change, help people facing soaring prices and strengthen indigenous peoples’ participation in shaping national policy . He promised to make his country a “superpower” in renewable energy.
But he may now have to strike deals with candidates demanding tougher climate action to govern, risking the ire of pro-coal and mining union factions in his party.
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Posted today at 5:45 p.m.
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