海角大神

Australians awoke on Sunday to a new prime minister in聽Anthony Albanese, the center-left Labor Party leader whose ascension to the nation鈥檚 top job from being raised in social housing by a single mother on a disability pension was said to reflect the country's changed fabric.

After nine years of center-right conservative rule, Australian voters聽delivered a clear rebuke to Australia鈥檚 traditional two-party system, both to Labor and the conservative coalition led by the Liberal party鈥檚聽outgoing Prime Minister Morrison. The major parties bled votes to fringe parties and independents, including in many seats considered Labor or coalition strongholds.

Mr. Albanese, a 59-year-old career politician, who has described himself as the only candidate with a 鈥渘on-Anglo Celtic name鈥� to run for prime minister in the 121 years the office has existed, referred to his humble upbringing in the inner-Sydney suburb of Camperdown while thanking electors for making him the country鈥檚 31st leader.

鈥淚t says a lot about our great country that a son of a single mom who was a disability pensioner, who grew up in public housing down the road in Camperdown, can stand before you tonight as Australia鈥檚 prime minister,鈥� Albanese told jubilant supporters after tipping Scott Morrison out of office to end nine years of conservative rule.

鈥淓very parent wants more for the next generation than they had. My mother dreamt of a better life for me. And I hope that my journey in life inspires Australians to reach for the stars,鈥� he said.

It's unclear whether Albanese鈥檚 party could form a majority government or will have to rely on an increased number of independents and minor party lawmakers who won seats in Saturday鈥檚 election, in results analysts described as extremely complicated, and which also mirrored the face of modern Australia.

With counting set to continue for many days as postal votes are tallied, one prospect that emerged was that Albanese may need to be sworn in as acting prime minister to attend Tuesday鈥檚 Quad summit in Tokyo with U.S. President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Biden congratulated Albanese on his election victory in a phone call Sunday, the White House said, and reaffirmed Washington's 鈥渟teadfast commitment to the U.S-Australia alliance and his intent to work closely with the new government to make it stronger still.鈥�

Australian National University constitutional law expert professor Donald Rothwell said that Australia鈥檚 governor general, the representative of the country's ultimate head of state, Queen Elizabeth II, would 鈥渙nly be prepared to swear in Albanese as 鈥楢cting PM鈥� until such time as the results are much clearer.鈥�

Albanese, speaking to reporters on Sunday morning, merely said he would be among 鈥渇ive people who鈥檒l be sworn in tomorrow (Monday)鈥� before attending the Quad meeting, then returning to Australia on Wednesday when 鈥渨e鈥檒l get down to business.鈥� The four colleagues he mentioned included lawmakers set to step into key financial portfolios and his deputy leader.

Needing 76 seats in the lower chamber, the House of Representatives, to govern in its own right, Labor on Sunday evening was being called the winner in 72, with 71% of votes counted, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corp.

The conservative Liberal-National coalition was ahead in just 52 鈥� drastically down from its bare-majority 76 in the 2019 poll. Analysts described the result as a fierce rejection of Morrison and his team鈥檚 handling of many issues in its three-year term including聽climate, COVID-19,聽women鈥檚 rights, political integrity and聽natural disasters聽such as bushfires and floods.

A total of 15 seats had been declared for independents or minor party candidates. Of these, three were from the environment-centric Green party and 12 were non-aligned politicians, with up to nine of those so-called聽teal independents. Labor may need the support of some of those winners, depending on who secures the seven seats still undecided.

In a new wave in Australian politics, the teal independents are marketed as a greener shade than the Liberal Party鈥檚 traditional blue color and want stronger government action on reducing Australia鈥檚 greenhouse gas emissions than either the government or Labor are proposing.

Most of their successful candidates are women, their rise seen partly as a repudiation of Morrison for his handling of gender issues including sexual harassment scandals that have rocked Parliament during his latest three-year term.

While Labor will form either a majority or minority government, both major parties lost ground, with support for the coalition dropping by more than 6% from the 2019 election, and Labor鈥檚 vote falling by around 1.2% as of Sunday morning.

Albanese vowed to bring Australians together, increase investment in social services and 鈥渆nd the climate wars.鈥�

Speaking to reporters while walking his dog in his electorate on Sunday morning, he evoked a more cooperative approach to parliamentary business 鈥� possibly unavoidable if Labor cannot form a majority government 鈥� and described his victory as 鈥渁 really big moment.鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 something that鈥檚 a big moment in my life, but what I want it to be is a big moment for the country,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 do want to change the country. I want to change the way that politics operates in this country.鈥�

Greens leader Adam Bandt concurred, saying his party wanted to work with the next government to 鈥渢ackle the climate crisis鈥� and an 鈥渋nequality crisis鈥� he said was threatening Australia.

鈥淭he Liberal vote went backwards, the Labor vote went backwards,鈥� he told reporters. 鈥淢ore people turned to the Greens than ever before 鈥� because we said that politics needs to be done differently.鈥�

Albanese, who revealed in a 2016 interview he had tracked down his biological father in Italy in 2009, four years before his death, said his surname and that of new government Senate leader Penny Wong, who is of Chinese ancestry, reflected modern, multi-cultural Australia.

鈥淚 think it鈥檚 good 鈥� someone with a non-Anglo Celtic surname is the leader in the House of Representatives and that someone with a surname like Wong is the leader of the government in the Senate,鈥� he said.

Labor has promised more financial assistance and a robust social safety net as Australia grapples with the highest inflation since 2001 and soaring housing prices.

The party also plans to increase minimum wages, and on the foreign policy front it proposed to establish a Pacific defense school to train neighboring armies in response to China鈥檚 potential military presence on the Solomon Islands on Australia鈥檚 doorstep.

It wants to tackle climate change with a more ambitious 43% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and net zero emissions by 2050.

Morrison, who became prime minister after an internal party coup in 2018, said he would stand down as Liberal leader.