Albanese against Dutton: Trump’s long shadow: Australians choose a new parliament

In Australia, around 18 million people have been choosing a new parliament in an excited vote since the morning. As before in Canada, US President Donald Trump could help the re -election of the acting social democratic government party – and the long -favored conservative opposition doom. In surveys, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (62) was most recently ahead.

His challenger Peter Dutton, chairman of the right -wing conservative coalition of liberals and national, was traded in February as a more likely winner. But then he made some controversial statements to speak during the election campaign.

Especially his obvious closeness to Trump’s politics brought him into the spin – for many Australians, the US President is a red cloth. Among other things, Dutton announced that they are released more than 40,000 state employees and ban mobile work for public employees. Later he moved away from these positions because of increasing criticism. His plan to have the first nuclear power plants built on the continent in Australia also turned out to be the own goal.

Sharp criticism of the media

“At the beginning of the election campaign, he wrongly believed that he would use the insane clown in the White House,” the newspaper “Sydney Morning Herald” wrote shortly before the election. “When he was pointed out that the vast majority of Australians don’t like Trump at all, he tried to change the course. But a leopard cannot strip down its stains,” commented the left -liberal sheet duttons bad survey values. As usual, the newspapers and television stations of the media mogul Rupert Murdoch recommended to choose the conservatives.

The rush in the polling stations was partly large in the morning, although there is also an obligation to vote in Australia. Some of them went to the polling station from the beach in swimming trunks. The central election campaign topic were the high cost of living and the acute lack of affordable living space. Both Albanese and Dutton have promised to reduce the financial pressure on the population.

While at Albaneses’s laboratory party otherwise a better health care as well as cheaper childcare and electricity bills were the focus, Dutton focused primarily on tax cuts, reduction in bureaucracy and a much sharper migration policy. He also promised to abolish the legal ban on nuclear power from the 1990s.

Millions have voted in advance

According to the election commission, more than eight million eligible voters have already voted in advance by either postal voting or early voting. That is about 45 percent of those entitled to vote. If you don’t give up a vote, you have to expect a fine of the equivalent of 11 euros.

In the vote, all 150 seats in the lower house and 40 of the 76 seats are filled in the Senate. If none of the two camps reached the 76 seats required for an absolute majority in the House of Representatives, the Australian Greens (Australian Greens, AG) and independent candidates could play a crucial role.

The polling stations are open until 6 p.m. local time (10 a.m. CEST). Results are expected in the course of the evening.