Albanese claims victory in Australia general election

Centrer-left leader Anthony Albanese claimed victory in Australia’s general election Saturday, as voters angered by climate inaction pulled the plug on a decade of conservative rule, AFP reported.

“The Australian people have voted for change” said the 59-year-old Labor leader, promising a less pugilistic form of leadership and a raft of reforms to make the country fairer and greener.

With almost two-thirds of the votes counted, Albanese was set to lead the largest party in parliament, but had yet to secure an outright majority.

The election was a stinging rebuke for Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who admitted it was a “difficult” and “humbling” night for his conservative coalition.

His Liberals lost seats to Labor across the country, but they suffered the most painful defeat at the hands of climate-focused independent candidates in a string of once ultra-safe conservative urban seats.