Labor poised for rare back-to-back election win in Australia

By Saadet Gokce

ISTANBUL (AA) - Early vote counts in Australia’s general election on Saturday suggest that the ruling Labor Party is on course to win a second consecutive term -- potentially marking the country’s first back-to-back re-election since 2004.

Polling opened at 8 am local time (2200GMT Friday), with over 18 million registered voters participating under Australia’s compulsory voting system.

With 33.5% of ballots counted, the Labor Party was leading with over 70 seats in the House of Representatives, just shy of the 76-seat majority required to form a government.

If the trend continues, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese would become the first Australian leader in over 20 years to win re-election.

In a unexpected development, opposition Liberal Party leader Peter Dutton has lost his Queensland seat of Dickson, according to projections by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) -- marking the first time in Australian history that an opposition leader has lost their seat in a general election.

Dutton reportedly conceded the seat to Labor’s Ali France at the Liberal Party headquarters, ABC reported.

"Now, we didn't do well enough during this campaign. That much is obvious tonight and I accept full responsibility," Dutton told party members.

The Liberal leader had previously faced widespread backlash for Islamophobic remarks, including calling Muslim political candidates a “disaster,” and was accused of trying to replicate former US President Donald Trump’s political strategies in Australia.