Australian Ruling Coalition Claims Victory
July 12, 2016
The coalition government of Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull retained power in elections held on July 2, 2016.
Credit: © Lukas Coch, EPA/Landov
On Sunday, July 10, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull declared victory in the country’s recent parliamentary election. Turnbull, who leads a governing coalition of Australia’s Liberal and National parties, made the announcement after opposition leader Bill Shorten, who heads the Labor Party, conceded defeat. More than a week after the July 2 poll, the vote count showed Turnbull’s coalition winning enough seats in the country’s House of Representatives to remain in power. Although some votes are yet to be counted, Turnbull secured enough support from independent legislators and those belonging to smaller parties to form a government even if the coalition does not reach the 76 seats needed to secure a House majority. Preliminary results showed Labor winning at least 66 seats. Turnbull became prime minister in September 2015 after successfully challenging Prime Minister Tony Abbott for the leadership of the Liberal Party. Using a provision of Australia’s Constitution, Turnbull enacted a double dissolution in early 2016—both houses of the federal Parliament were dissolved and fresh elections were called. The election was a sizeable gamble for Turnbull, who had hoped to increase the number of parliamentary seats held by the coalition. However, Turnbull secured a reduced grip on power—at the last federal election in 2013, the coalition won 90 seats to Labor’s 55.
