Australia’s Malcolm Turnbull dealt blow as opposition sweeps ‘Super Saturday’ elections
In what was coined ‘Super Saturday’, voters in five seats went to the polls after a handful of opposition lawmakers were forced from office after falling foul of the country’s constitution that bans politicians from elected office if they are dual citizens
Embattled Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s grip on power ahead of upcoming national polls was under renewed scrutiny Sunday after disappointing by-election results.
Five seats were up for grabs after four opposition politicians and one from a minor party fell foul of a constitutional rule barring dual citizens from serving in parliament.
Saturday’s by-elections were billed as a key test for Turnbull and Labor opposition leader Bill Shorten, with the governing Liberal-National coalition hoping to win a seat to double its wafer-thin parliamentary majority of one.
With Labor tipped to retain all four of its seats, including two that had been seen as too close to call -- Longman in Queensland state and Braddon in Tasmania state - Shorten emerged as the clear winner.
“These by-elections were a very simple question - did people want more of the same or did they want better from their government,” Shorten told reporters in Queensland on Sunday.
“I think, in large numbers, they said we want better from the government... We had the better candidates (and) the better policies.”
