Albanese in Australia declare victory in the election, riding a tide of anti-Trump sentiment

Anthony Albanese of Australia announced a historic second term as prime minister on Saturday, launching a stunning comeback against conservatives who had previously been on the rise due to voters’ worries about the impact of US President Donald Trump, opens new tab.

The leader of the conservative Liberal party, Peter Dutton, admitted defeat and the loss of his own seat. This was similar to what happened to Canada’s conservatives and their leader, whose election losses were likewise ascribed to anger from Trump a few days prior.

Albanese declared victory and announced his party would create a majority government, to cheers and hugs from Labor’s election party supporters in Sydney.

“Our government will choose the Australian way, because we are proud of who we are and all that we have built together in this country,” Albanese told the crowd.

“We are not in need of begging, borrowing, or copying from other sources. Our inspiration does not come from other countries. It’s right here, in our people and our ideals.”

Albanese is Australia’s first prime minister to win two terms in a row in twenty years. According to him, justice and “the strength to show courage in adversity and kindness to those in need” were the reasons why Australians voted.

According to the Australian Electoral Commission website, Labor would increase its majority in the House of Representatives by winning 80 of 150 seats, once 90% of the voting places were counted.

85 seats were predicted for Labor by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), 41 for the Liberal and National combination, nine for independents, and another 15 that were too close to call.

Dutton, who claimed to have called Albanese to congratulate him, said his Liberals had been ahead in polls as recently as February until he started to get compared to Trump.

Our performance during this campaign was inadequate. In a speech that was shown on television, Dutton stated, “That much is obvious tonight, and I accept full responsibility for that.”

Dutton, a former police officer known for his tough stance on immigration and crime, claimed to have spoken with Labor’s candidate in Dickson, the seat he had occupied for twenty years, and he congratulated her on her victory.

With a vow to rebuild the party, Dutton stated, “Our opponents have defined us in this election, which is not the true story of who we are.”

The “Trump Factor”

Opinion polls indicated that the top concerns among voters had been the cost of living and Trump’s unstable trade and other policies.

The Liberal senator for the Northern Territory, Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, stated, “If you sling enough mud it will stick.” Her remarks that her party will “make Australia great again” sparked analogies to Trump’s own “Make America Great Again” tagline.

“You made it all about Trump,” she stated on ABC. Price was one of several echoes of Trump’s initiatives that Dutton had stated he would assign to a ministry of government efficiency.

“Losing Peter Dutton is a huge loss,” she noted.

The Liberals campaign was criticized by a number of political observers who claimed that Dutton had made blunders, such as enacting a temporary regulation that prohibited public employees from working from home, and that not enough policy work had been done.

According to Senator James Paterson, the spokesman for the Liberal Party, “the Trump factor” had a negative impact on the conservative campaign.

For conservatives in Canada, it was disastrous… “I believe it has played a role in this; the exact extent of that role will be ascertained in a few hours,” he had previously told ABC.

Congratulating Albanese, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Australia was “a valued ally, partner, and friend of the United States” in his letter.

“Our shared values and democratic traditions provide the bedrock for an enduring alliance and for the deep ties between our peoples,” stated Marco Rubio.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also praised Albanese and stated that support for Ukraine and defense cooperation between the two nations, including AUKUS, would continue to increase.

“The UK and Australia are as close as ever – which goes to show that long-distance friendships can be the strongest,” Starmer noted on the social media site X.

The statement sent to Albanese on X by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi read: “This emphatic mandate indicates the enduring faith of the Australian people in your leadership.”

The government had been “in all sorts of trouble” at the end of 2024, but thanks to Albanese’s excellent campaign performance, policies that addressed concerns about the cost of living, and the Trump effect, Labor Treasurer Jim Chalmers said earlier as counting began.

“A win for the ages” was what he told ABC when the results began to come in. He claimed that Albanese “has orchestrated one of the great political triumphs since federation.”

During the election party, 54-year-old Labor supporter Melinda Adderley sobbed as she described the results as “absolutely unbelievable.”