Australian parties pursue independents
Source: Agencies |
August 24, 2010, Tuesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
LEADERS of Australia's two major political parties lobbied for support from independent lawmakers to stitch together the nation's first minority government since World War II after the closest elections in almost 50 years.
Australia's dollar was trading lower yesterday as uncertainty remained over results of the weekend federal elections, with the ruling Labor Party losing seats to the environment-focused Greens party in a backlash over the government's shelving of plans to charge major polluters for every ton of carbon gas they emit.
The final results of Saturday's vote may not be known for a week or more but both Labor and the Liberal Party-led opposition conceded neither would achieve the 76 seats needed to form a government in the 150-seat lower chamber.
"So the question before all of us is this: Which party is better able to form a stable and effective government in the national interest?" Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who remains caretaker leader, told reporters on Sunday.
Both Gillard and Liberal leader Tony Abbott have initiated talks with three independents in the House of Representatives, as well as the Greens party, in a bid to secure votes in the House of Representatives. Neither revealed what they were prepared to offer in the confidential negotiations.
The Australian dollar opened 0.44 percent lower yesterday, trading at 88.63 US cents, compared to Friday's close at 89.46 cents. Shares on the Australian stock exchange also opened marginally lower.
With more than 78 percent of the vote counted, the Australian Electoral Commission said yesterday the ruling center-left Labor Party had won 71 seats and the opposition coalition 72. Most analysts agreed the coalition was likely to finish with 73, one seat ahead of Labor.
Australia's dollar was trading lower yesterday as uncertainty remained over results of the weekend federal elections, with the ruling Labor Party losing seats to the environment-focused Greens party in a backlash over the government's shelving of plans to charge major polluters for every ton of carbon gas they emit.
The final results of Saturday's vote may not be known for a week or more but both Labor and the Liberal Party-led opposition conceded neither would achieve the 76 seats needed to form a government in the 150-seat lower chamber.
"So the question before all of us is this: Which party is better able to form a stable and effective government in the national interest?" Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who remains caretaker leader, told reporters on Sunday.
Both Gillard and Liberal leader Tony Abbott have initiated talks with three independents in the House of Representatives, as well as the Greens party, in a bid to secure votes in the House of Representatives. Neither revealed what they were prepared to offer in the confidential negotiations.
The Australian dollar opened 0.44 percent lower yesterday, trading at 88.63 US cents, compared to Friday's close at 89.46 cents. Shares on the Australian stock exchange also opened marginally lower.
With more than 78 percent of the vote counted, the Australian Electoral Commission said yesterday the ruling center-left Labor Party had won 71 seats and the opposition coalition 72. Most analysts agreed the coalition was likely to finish with 73, one seat ahead of Labor.
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