Anthony Albanese will be Australia’s next prime minister.
The Labor leader pledged a “journey of change” as he was sworn in to be the country’s 31st prime minister. He vowed to tackle climate change, rising living costs, and inequality.
The election has transformed Australia’s political landscape. The Coalition is in disarray after it lost more than a dozen seats to Labor and independents. After nine years in opposition, Australia’s center-left Labor Party is retaking power.
Albanese pledged to implement the Uluru statement in full, which includes constitutional recognition for Indigenous Australians, and promised “kindness” to people in need. He declared that together, “we can end the climate wars.”
Albanese was sworn in over the weekend so that he could attend the Quad Leaders Summit that took place in Tokyo tomorrow, alongside U.S. President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Quad summit is aimed at enhancing cooperation between the four member countries and also discussing notable developments within the Indo-Pacific region.
Outgoing prime minister Scott Morrison made his concession speech over the weekend, confirming that he would stand down as leader at the next meeting of the Liberal party room. Morrison is a member of the Liberal Party of Australia, which is a major center-right political party.
Australia has a mild two-party system, with the two dominant groups being the Labor Party and the Liberal/National Coalition.
What happens in the house is still to be determined. Labor still remains four seats short of a majority of 76 in the 151-seat lower house, with a dozen of the election races still too close to call. Some predict that Labor may get enough seats to govern on their own.
The official results could be several days away, according to monitors.
Be the first to comment