AUSTRALIA’S CONSERVATIVE GOVERNMENT REVELS IN MIRACLE’ RE-ELECTION

Australia’s conservative government celebrated on Sunday its surprise election victory that defied years of unfavourable opinion polls, with U.S. and Israeli leaders welcoming Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s return to office.

Australia’s Liberal-led coalition has won or is leading in 74 seats in its quest for a 76-seat majority, according to the Australian Electoral Commission, with three-quarters of votes counted.

The opposition Labour party has conceded defeat and Bill Shorten stepped down as its leader.

“Congratulations to Scott on a GREAT WIN,” U.S. President Donald Trump said on Twitter.

The White House said Trump and Morrison spoke by phone and “pledged to continue their close cooperation on shared priorities”.

Morrison told raucously cheering supporters late on Saturday, who just hours earlier had seemed resigned to defeat, that he had always believed in miracles.

Opinion polls in Australia had all pointed to a Labour victory ahead of Saturday’s vote. So strong was the expectation the government would fall that one betting agency even paid out bets on a Labour

Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison with wife Jenny, children Abbey and Lily after winning the 2019 Federal Election, at the Federal Liberal Reception at the Sofitel-wentworth hotel in Sydney, Australia, May 18, 2019. AAP Image/ Dean Lewins/via REUTERS

win days before the election. Morrison, however, cast himself as the candidate who would work for aspirational voters and the tactic seemed to strike a chord. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also congratulated Morrison on Sunday.

“I know that under your leadership the great friendship between Australia and Israel will grow even stronger,” Netanyahu said on Twitter.

MELBOURNE/SYDNEY (REUTERS), 19 MAY, 2019