The left wins Australia's elections

Labor, led by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, has overwhelmingly won the legislative elections in Australia. At the time of writing, several world leaders, including Marco Rubio, had congratulated Albanese, while the conservative candidate conceded victory.

"Thank you to the people of Australia for the opportunity to continue to serve the greatest country in the world," Albanese told the crowd at a campaign celebration in Sydney. Conservative opposition leader Peter Dutton from the Liberal Party even lost his seat in parliament.

"I called the prime minister to congratulate him on his success," Dutton said. "We didn't do well enough in this campaign that's obvious tonight, and I accept full responsibility," he added. With nearly 70 percent of the vote counted, Labour has 83 seats, to just 35 for the coalition that was trying to oust Albanese from power. The absolute majority is 76 seats.

Voters were tasked with choosing between these two veterans of national politics, electing the 150 members of the new lower house and renewing about half of the Senate.

Albanese: "The Holy Grail is to win twice in a row"

Albanese, 62, who has been prime minister since his surprise victory in the 2022 legislative elections, promised to develop renewable energy, address the housing crisis, and increase funding for the health system. "The Holy Grail is to win twice in a row, and that's our goal today," he told Channel Seven before the count.

His rival, Peter Dutton, a 54-year-old former narcotics officer, campaigned on reducing immigration, fighting crime, and lifting Australia's ban on developing civil nuclear power.