Close Result Seen in Australian Election
CANBERRA, Australia — It could take more than a week to learn who will govern Australia after a cliffhanger election — the closest in nearly 50 years. Above, a polling official counted ballots in Melbourne on Saturday.
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Pundits said Australia’s major foreign policy positions, including its deployment of 1,550 troops to Afghanistan, would be unaffected by whichever party wins because both hold similar views. Domestic issues vary across the large and diverse country, including hot topics such as asylum seekers, health care and climate change.
An Australian government has not relied on the support of independent lawmakers to rule since 1942, however, that may change after the extremely tight vote. The ranks of the independents in the 150-seat lower house rose from two at the last election to three, possibly four, this time around.
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