Australian Labor Party Governs Alone... Secures Majority in House of Representatives

Anthony Albanese, Australia's new Prime Minister

The Australian Labor Party has secured a majority of seats in the House of Representatives, enabling it to form a government on its own, BBC reported on the 31st (local time).

BBC, citing analyses from local election experts, reported that the Labor Party won more than half of the 151 seats in the House of Representatives, securing 76 seats.

Led by newly appointed Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, the Labor Party won the general election held on the 21st, which elected 151 members of the House of Representatives and 40 senators, becoming the largest party, but it was initially unclear whether it could form a government alone.

To become the ruling party on its own, it needed to secure a majority of 76 seats in the House, but early vote counts fell short of this number.

Australia employs an electoral system that combines single-member districts, majority vote requirements, and preferential voting. If the leading candidate fails to achieve a majority, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and their votes are redistributed, which means it takes time to announce the final winner in closely contested districts.

With the Labor Party securing 76 seats, there is no longer a need to form a coalition with minor parties or independent members to establish the government.

However, the party failed to secure a majority in the Senate. Therefore, support from independent and opposition senators will be necessary to pass legislation.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.