In the 2022 federal election in Australia, the opposition Labor Party has ousted Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s coalition government from power. Scott Morrison conceded defeat on Saturday, making way for his successor Anthony Albanese, leader of the Australian Labor Party.
Scott Morrison has also decided to step down as leader of the Liberal Party of Australia. This means a new Leader of Opposition will be elected.
“To my colleagues tonight, who have had to deal with very difficult news, and have lost their seats tonight, I as leader take responsibility for the wins and the losses. That is the burden and that is the responsibility of leadership,” Scott Morrison said.
“As a result I will be handing over the leadership at the next party room meeting to ensure the party can be taken forward under new leadership which is the appropriate thing to do. I’ve had the great privilege to lead this great party and lead this great nation. And the reason I have been able to do that is I’ve been supported by so many,” he added.
WHO IS ANTHONY ALBANESE?
Anthony Albanese, all set to be Australia’s 31st prime minister, is the leader of the Australian Labor Party and has been the leader of opposition. He has served as a member of parliament in Australia since 1996.
He was the deputy prime minister of Australia in 2013 and served as a cabinet minister between 2007 and 2013.
In the 2022 election campaign, Albanese’s Labor Party promised more financial assistance and a robust social safety net amid souring inflation in Australia. The party also said it wanted to tackle climate change with a more ambitious 43 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
TOKYO SUMMIT
Immediately after coming to power, Anthony Albanese will be on a plane to Tokyo in Japan on Monday to attend the Quad summit and meet US President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
After claiming the election victory, Albanese vowed to make the country a renewable energy ‘superpower’.
PM Modi took to Twitter to congratulate Anthony Albanese. He tweeted, “Congratulations Anthony Albanese for the victory of the Australian Labor Party, and your election as the Prime Minister! I look forward to working towards further strengthening our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, and for shared priorities in the Indo-Pacific region.”
Congratulations @AlboMP for the victory of the Australian Labor Party, and your election as the Prime Minister! I look forward to working towards further strengthening our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, and for shared priorities in the Indo-Pacific region.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 21, 2022
(With inputs from agencies)
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