Australian ruling coalition wins surprise victory

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s ruling conservative coalition secured the majority in a Saturday vote that polls had predicted as a win for the opposition Labor Party. Australia’s Electoral Commission on Monday showed the ruling government was on track to win 78 seats, with 67 seats predicted to go to the Labor Party after 84 percent of votes were counted. Parties require 77 seats to form the majority government.

Morrison welcomed the victory as a “miracle” and thanked the “quiet Australians” who voted for the coalition. “Tonight is about every single Australian who depends on their government to put them first,” he said. He attended worship services Sunday at the Pentecostal Horizon Church in Sydney, where he thanked congregants for their support. Analysts expected the Labor Party to take the lead after Morrison became the country’s sixth prime minister in eight years, replacing Malcolm Turnbull in August. Labor leader Bill Shorten resigned as party head following the defeat.