Australian Prime Minister Albanese Tells Crowd He’s Alright After Falling off the Stage

Anthony Albanese, the prime minister of Australia, assured the crowd that he was fine after he fell off a stage during a campaign rally.

On Thursday, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese made a fleeting gaffe during a campaign event when he seemed to tumble off a stage. But he soon got back on track and reassured them that he was “sweet.”

The center-left Labor Party leader, 62, was stepping back and losing his balance while posing for pictures following his speech at the Mining and Energy Union Conference in New South Wales. As he briefly vanished from view, gasps echoed around the room.

Albanese stumbled off the stage, and the action was caught on camera. But he got up immediately and waved both hands to indicate that he was not hurt. In an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation over the radio later, he played down the incident.

“I took a step backward. I didn’t tumble off the platform. He remarked, “I was sweet, but only one leg went down.”

As of right now, Albanese is running for the May 3 national election in Australia. His Labor Party and Peter Dutton’s conservative Liberal-National opposition are in a close contest. 

Both parties are fighting for the trust of voters as the election draws closer in what is expected to be a fiercely contested political contest.