Australia election: Can Dutton replace Albanese as PM? Polls close, counting of votes begins

Most of Australia has voted for its next government after polling stations closed at 6 pm AET(1:30 pm IST) in the eastern states. Now, all eyes are on the results, which will be displayed soon by the Australian Election Commission in real-time after the counting begins later today.

This year’s elections were swayed by issues like cost of living, climate anxiety and US President Donald Trump’s tariffs. While Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has taken a tough stance against Trump’s trade measures, his main contender, Peter Dutton went soft on the US president and has been heavily criticised for it.

Later today, both leaders will address their respective parties in Sydney and Brisbane as the Australian Electoral Commission tallies votes.

The almost universal consensus across a slew of opinion polls leading up to election day was that Albanese’s governing Labour Party would win a second term.

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“The holy grail is back-to-back wins that we’re aiming for today,” Albanese told Channel Seven.

“I’ll leave nothing on the field over the next three years if I’m re-elected as Australia’s prime minister.”

Some polls have shown Dutton losing support to Albanese because of Trump, whom he praised this year as a “big thinker” with “gravitas” on the global stage.

The ruling centre-left Labour Party has branded the opposition leader “DOGE-y Dutton” and accused his party of mimicking Trump and his Department of Government Efficiency.

Not just the US, but China has also emerged as a key point of contention between the two parties with Albanese claiming that his government had improved relations with Beijing, which removed a series of official and unofficial trade barriers that had cost Australian exporters 20 billion Australian dollars ($13 billion) a year since Labor came to power in 2022.

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The election is taking place against a backdrop of what both sides of politics describe as a cost-of-living crisis.

Foodbank Australia, the nation’s largest food relief charity, reported that 3.4 million households in the country of 27 million people experienced food insecurity last year.

The Australian House of Representatives is made up of 150 members, each representing a specific region of the country. Members serve a term of three years. To form a majority government and choose a prime minister, a party or coalition must win at least 76 seats.

With inputs from agencies