Australian election tightens after rocky start to campaign

Bloomberg

Australian voters are turning their backs on the two major parties ahead of next month’s election, with new polling showing the center-right
government and the opposition Labor Party could both struggle to win a majority in parliament.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s Liberal National Coalition government saw its primary support fall to 35%, while the opposition Labor Party’s fell to 36%, according to a Newspoll opinion survey published in The Australian newspaper.
At the same time, one in four voters said they were planning to vote for a minor party or an independent candidate, with support rising to 12% for the Australian Greens and 4% for the far-right One Nation party.
Australia is due to vote in a national election May 21, with the government campaigning for a fourth term in power off the back of its economic management. The parties need 76 seats in the 151-seat Australian parliament if they want to form government, with Morrison’s coalition currently holding a slim majority.
If neither secures a majority, then they’ll need to negotiate with minor parties and independent lawmakers to form a minority government.