Labor wins big in Australia
The social democratic Labor Party has won a landslide victory in Australia. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese can now continue to govern with an absolute majority after securing more than 80 seats in the country's 150-seat House of Representatives. The conservative National-Liberal Coalition won just under 40 seats. Commentators discuss the causes and the Trump effect.
Backlash against Trump
The US president played a role in the election result, Népszava believes:
“Due to Trump's actions, the party that opposed him won in Canada and, this weekend, in Australia too: the Liberals in Canada and Labor in Australia. ... At the beginning of March the Conservatives were still ahead in Australia, but now Labor has won a landslide victory for similar reasons as in Canada. Trump's foreign policy, based on threats and intimidation, is increasingly rejected by moderate forces. The Trump effect is already being felt around the world, albeit not in the way the US president had imagined.”
Anti-Trumpism not working everywhere
Le Soir warns against over-optimism:
“In Australia and Canada the conservatives fell victim to the 'Trump effect'. ... But make no mistake: Trumpian ideas are on the rise. ... In Germany the AfD has been growing steadily for years. ... In other parts of Europe, Viktor Orbán feels emboldened and is banning LGBTQIA+ parades. In the UK, Nigel Farage celebrated a comeback at the polls just a week ago. So while Trump's opponents may rejoice over certain election results they would be well advised not to rely on Trump's deterrent effect to save democracies.”
Make new friends?
The taz sees Australia at a crossroads:
“The decades-old friendship with the United States of America, the scaffolding on which the nation's security rests, is not just shaky - it has collapsed. ... For the new-old government under Labor Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, the question now is: should Australia simply wait until Trump is history in a few years' time or should the country start looking for new friends? ... Even if military cooperation with China, which has long been described as a potential aggressor, is not an option, further rapprochement between Canberra and Beijing would certainly be an example of the kind of carefully reflected, pragmatic policies that the Australian electorate clearly wants.”