Australians casting ballots in general elections
People in Australia head to the polls to elect a new government for the next three years as surveys show a close race between the country’s two major political forces.
Polling stations opened at 8:00 a.m. local time on Saturday (2200 GMT on Friday) and will close at 6:00 p.m. local time on Saturday (0800 GMT on Saturday), with some 15.6 million Australians eligible to take part in the voting.
Those competing in the election delivered their final pitches to voters on Friday after an eight-week campaign across Australia, where voting is compulsory.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, the leader of Australia’s ruling conservative coalition, dissolved both houses of the parliament in May in an attempt to oust independents in the Senate who opposed his economic plan.
The government currently has 33 seats in the 150-seat Senate and needs six more to pass the plan.
However, the coalition faces a strong challenge from independents as well as the main opposition Labor Party, led by Bill Shorte, a former union chief.
The latest Newspoll in News Corp Australia publications placed the coalition at 50.5 percent, compared with Labor’s 49.5 percent in two-party preferred terms.
Turnbull has accused the opposition Labor party of having no schemes for jobs, growth and the country’s economic future, saying, “In an uncertain world, Labor offers only greater uncertainty.”
After voting in his Sydney electorate, he said, “There has never been a more exciting time to vote for a stable, majority coalition government and an economic plan that secures our future.”
Shorten, however, has warned against reelecting the governing coalition, vowing to boost spending for health and education.
“The cuts are severe and they are real,” the opposition leader said, referring to the government’s health and education policies.
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