Australian Elections: PM Scott Morrison Concedes Defeat to Anthony Albanese

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison conceded defeat on Saturday to the opposition Labor Party’s Anthony Albanese in the federal election.

“Tonight I have spoken to the leader of the opposition and the incoming prime minister, Anthony Albanese, and I have congratulated him on his election victory this evening,” Morrison said in a statement.

The statement came after the country’s national broadcaster, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, projected his defeat after one term in office Saturday.

Albanese, the son of a single parent who grew up in public housing, and member of Parliament for 26 years, will become the 31st person to hold the nation’s top job, replacing Morrison, ABC projected.

The opposition Labor Party leader won on a campaign promising “renewal not revolution.”

Though it’s not yet clear if the Labor Party can form a majority, ABC projected that it’s likely to reach a minority government, seizing power from the ruling coalition after almost a decade in office.

Anthony Albanese

Projections also showed that independents, who called for tougher action on climate change, picked up seats of MacKellar, Golstein and North Sydney.

The Labor Party currently has more than 70 of the 76 needed to form a majority government, according to the Australian Electoral Commission’s tally.