Australian PM concedes defeat in federal elections

Canberra: Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has conceded defeat in the country’s federal elections held on Saturday.

He said in a speech that he has spoken to opposition leader Anthony Albanese and congratulated him on his victory, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation on Saturday projected that Labor will form government for the first time since 2013, with Albanese set to become the country’s 31st Prime Minister.

The results mark an end to the coalition’s nearly nine-year hold on power and Morrison’s tenure as Prime Minister.

Morrison, who became Prime Minister in 2018, is the first Australian leader to serve a full term in office since John Howard, who won four elections before losing to Labor’s Kevin Rudd in 2007, according to a BBC report.

He has led Australia through a period dominated by natural disasters and the Covid-19 pandemic, which was initially hailed as a success but was later criticised for inadequate planning.

Meanwhile, Albanese, one of Australia’s longest-serving politicians who was briefly Deputy Prime Minister under Kevin Rudd in 2013, is campaigning for change and has promised voters a “safe change”.

Some of the key issues for voters include economy, unemployment, climate change, trust in leaders, healthcare and education.

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