Earlier this year Britain had its first Hung Parliament since 1974, resulting in Britain being run by a Tory/Liberal Democrat coalition.
Now Britain's colony of Australia has followed suit. Yesterday's General Election, like Britain's in May, produced no clear winner after 78% of the votes had been counted, leaving this vast desert land facing its first hung parliament since 1940.
The two main contenders in the election are both Brits, and neither Welsh-born Prime Minister Julia Gillard's Labor Party nor the Coalition - led by London-born Opposition Leader Tony Abbott - can reach the 76 seats needed to form Government
Now political experts predict that Tony Abbot and his Coalition will form a government with the help of three independents.
Gillard, who only became PM in June when her predecessor John Rudd lost the support of his party and stepped down is, though, determined to to everything she can to cling on to power
'It is clear that neither party has earned the right to government in its own right,' Ms Gillard told reporters.
'It's my intention to negotiate in good faith an effective agreement to form government.'
14,088,260 Aussies were elegible to vote in the election and voting is compulsory.
It took Britain just five days - relatively quick compared to other European and North American countries - to negotiate the creation of a new coalition government after its hung parliament on 6th May. Let's see how long it takes Australia.
Australia facing days of political uncertainty after election fails to deliver a clear winner
By Mail Foreign Service
22nd August 2010
Daily Mail
The parliament building in Australia's capital Canberra
Australia's two major parties are seeking to woo independent lawmakers after yesterday's inconclusive election left the nation facing its first hung parliament since 1940.
With 78 per cent of votes counted, neither Welsh-born Prime Minister Julia Gillard's Labor Party nor the Coalition - led by London-born Opposition Leader Tony Abbott - can reach the 76 seats needed to form Government.
Political pundits predict the most likely result will be an unstable minority government under Mr Abbott, supported by three independents.
The morning after: Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, born in Barry, south Wales, and her partner Tim Mathieson take time out for breakfast after yesterday's inconclusive result
But Ms Gillard remained determined today to cling to power, revealing she had started negotiations with the MPs in a bid to enlist support for the Labor Party.
'It is clear that neither party has earned the right to government in its own right,' Ms Gillard told reporters.
'It's my intention to negotiate in good faith an effective agreement to form government.'
The Prime Minister said today that it was now clear that the Labor Party had won the popular vote and this should be weighed carefully by independents who would now help decide which party governed.
An Australian government has not had to rely on the support of independent lawmakers to rule since 1942.
So close: London-born and Oxford University-educated Opposition leader Tony Abbott is cheered by the party faithful as he arrives at a function last night
Blast from the past: Former Australian prime minister John Howard and his wife Jeanette were on hand to support Tony Abbott last night
It is now predicted that Labor will win 72 seats and and the Coalition will win 73.
The election results were expected to be the closest since 1961, when a Liberal government retained power with a single seat.
With 78 percent of the vote counted, the Australian Electoral Commission said Labor had won 70 seats - one less than earlier calculated - and the coalition 71.
Analyst Norman Abjorensen, an Australian National University political scientist, said the most likely outcome would be an unstable minority government under Liberal leader Tony Abbott and supported by three independents.
Kingmaker: Leader of the Australian Greens party, Senator Bob Brown, has already met with Ms Gillard as both leaders attempt to gain his party's support
Mr Abbott argues that he deserves to lead because his coalition attracted more votes than Labor.
He said Labor had 'lost legitimacy when it lost its majority.'
'It is historically unprecedented for a first-term government to receive the kind of rebuff that the Rudd-Gillard government received yesterday.'
Mr Abbott said the loss of voter support for Labor that cost the government so many of its 83 seats showed that Australians wanted the government to change.
While he did not rule out winning the election, he confirmed that he also had preliminary discussions with the independents and Greens.
'It is historically unprecedented for a first-term government to receive the kind of rebuff that the ... government received yesterday,' Mr Abbott said.
'It's certain that any Labour government emerging from yesterday will be chronically divided and dysfunctional,' he added.
Independent Tony Windsor said he planned to talk with fellow independents Bob Katter and Rob Oakeshott today to decide on issues including whether to negotiate a power deal with the major parties as a group or individually.
Long night: Sydney residents exhausted from staying up late waiting for the election results snuggle together on a 50-metre wide 'bed' to increase public awareness of mitochondrial disease. The weather was warm and sunny, despite this being the middle of Australia's winter.
All three were the only independents in the last parliament and all are former members of the Nationals party, which is a coalition partner of the Liberals.
But all have said they are open to the prospect of supporting a Labour minority government.
'Whichever side it is, we need to have some stability and maintenance of stability so that the government can actually work' Mr Windsor told ABC television.
'We might end up back at the polls,' he added, referring to the possibility of another election if a support pact cannot be negotiated.
Greens party leader Bob Brown said no agreement had been reached after a 'cordial' conversation with Ms Gillard, who was seeking the support of newly elected Greens lawmaker Adam Brandt.
But Mr Brandt had previously stated his preference for a Labour government.
The Greens won a surge of support from former Labour voters after Labour shelved plans to charge major polluting industries for every ton of carbon gas that they emit in a bid to curb Australia's greenhouse gas emissions.
The record support for the Greens has increased the party's senate seats from five to nine, giving them the leverage to become kingmaker in deciding which major party controls that chamber.
Mr Abbott doubts the science behind climate change and rules out ever taxing polluters for their greenhouse gas emissions.
A former Greens member Andrew Wilkie, the independent candidate contacted by Ms Gillard, said he would not talk about which party he might support until his own seat was certain.
The final election results might not be known for a week.
Ms Gillard's failure to lead Labour to outright victory is certain to hurt her - it was she who 'rolled' former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd less than two months ago as his popularity dwindled.
Labour powerbrokers will be asking whether they would have done better if Mr Rudd was still Prime Minister.
dailymail.co.uk
Now Britain's colony of Australia has followed suit. Yesterday's General Election, like Britain's in May, produced no clear winner after 78% of the votes had been counted, leaving this vast desert land facing its first hung parliament since 1940.
The two main contenders in the election are both Brits, and neither Welsh-born Prime Minister Julia Gillard's Labor Party nor the Coalition - led by London-born Opposition Leader Tony Abbott - can reach the 76 seats needed to form Government
Now political experts predict that Tony Abbot and his Coalition will form a government with the help of three independents.
Gillard, who only became PM in June when her predecessor John Rudd lost the support of his party and stepped down is, though, determined to to everything she can to cling on to power
'It is clear that neither party has earned the right to government in its own right,' Ms Gillard told reporters.
'It's my intention to negotiate in good faith an effective agreement to form government.'
14,088,260 Aussies were elegible to vote in the election and voting is compulsory.
It took Britain just five days - relatively quick compared to other European and North American countries - to negotiate the creation of a new coalition government after its hung parliament on 6th May. Let's see how long it takes Australia.
Australia facing days of political uncertainty after election fails to deliver a clear winner
By Mail Foreign Service
22nd August 2010
Daily Mail
The parliament building in Australia's capital Canberra
Australia's two major parties are seeking to woo independent lawmakers after yesterday's inconclusive election left the nation facing its first hung parliament since 1940.
With 78 per cent of votes counted, neither Welsh-born Prime Minister Julia Gillard's Labor Party nor the Coalition - led by London-born Opposition Leader Tony Abbott - can reach the 76 seats needed to form Government.
Political pundits predict the most likely result will be an unstable minority government under Mr Abbott, supported by three independents.
The morning after: Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, born in Barry, south Wales, and her partner Tim Mathieson take time out for breakfast after yesterday's inconclusive result
But Ms Gillard remained determined today to cling to power, revealing she had started negotiations with the MPs in a bid to enlist support for the Labor Party.
'It is clear that neither party has earned the right to government in its own right,' Ms Gillard told reporters.
'It's my intention to negotiate in good faith an effective agreement to form government.'
The Prime Minister said today that it was now clear that the Labor Party had won the popular vote and this should be weighed carefully by independents who would now help decide which party governed.
An Australian government has not had to rely on the support of independent lawmakers to rule since 1942.
So close: London-born and Oxford University-educated Opposition leader Tony Abbott is cheered by the party faithful as he arrives at a function last night
Blast from the past: Former Australian prime minister John Howard and his wife Jeanette were on hand to support Tony Abbott last night
It is now predicted that Labor will win 72 seats and and the Coalition will win 73.
The election results were expected to be the closest since 1961, when a Liberal government retained power with a single seat.
With 78 percent of the vote counted, the Australian Electoral Commission said Labor had won 70 seats - one less than earlier calculated - and the coalition 71.
Analyst Norman Abjorensen, an Australian National University political scientist, said the most likely outcome would be an unstable minority government under Liberal leader Tony Abbott and supported by three independents.
Kingmaker: Leader of the Australian Greens party, Senator Bob Brown, has already met with Ms Gillard as both leaders attempt to gain his party's support
Mr Abbott argues that he deserves to lead because his coalition attracted more votes than Labor.
He said Labor had 'lost legitimacy when it lost its majority.'
'It is historically unprecedented for a first-term government to receive the kind of rebuff that the Rudd-Gillard government received yesterday.'
Mr Abbott said the loss of voter support for Labor that cost the government so many of its 83 seats showed that Australians wanted the government to change.
While he did not rule out winning the election, he confirmed that he also had preliminary discussions with the independents and Greens.
'It is historically unprecedented for a first-term government to receive the kind of rebuff that the ... government received yesterday,' Mr Abbott said.
'It's certain that any Labour government emerging from yesterday will be chronically divided and dysfunctional,' he added.
Independent Tony Windsor said he planned to talk with fellow independents Bob Katter and Rob Oakeshott today to decide on issues including whether to negotiate a power deal with the major parties as a group or individually.
Long night: Sydney residents exhausted from staying up late waiting for the election results snuggle together on a 50-metre wide 'bed' to increase public awareness of mitochondrial disease. The weather was warm and sunny, despite this being the middle of Australia's winter.
All three were the only independents in the last parliament and all are former members of the Nationals party, which is a coalition partner of the Liberals.
But all have said they are open to the prospect of supporting a Labour minority government.
'Whichever side it is, we need to have some stability and maintenance of stability so that the government can actually work' Mr Windsor told ABC television.
'We might end up back at the polls,' he added, referring to the possibility of another election if a support pact cannot be negotiated.
Greens party leader Bob Brown said no agreement had been reached after a 'cordial' conversation with Ms Gillard, who was seeking the support of newly elected Greens lawmaker Adam Brandt.
But Mr Brandt had previously stated his preference for a Labour government.
The Greens won a surge of support from former Labour voters after Labour shelved plans to charge major polluting industries for every ton of carbon gas that they emit in a bid to curb Australia's greenhouse gas emissions.
The record support for the Greens has increased the party's senate seats from five to nine, giving them the leverage to become kingmaker in deciding which major party controls that chamber.
Mr Abbott doubts the science behind climate change and rules out ever taxing polluters for their greenhouse gas emissions.
A former Greens member Andrew Wilkie, the independent candidate contacted by Ms Gillard, said he would not talk about which party he might support until his own seat was certain.
The final election results might not be known for a week.
Ms Gillard's failure to lead Labour to outright victory is certain to hurt her - it was she who 'rolled' former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd less than two months ago as his popularity dwindled.
Labour powerbrokers will be asking whether they would have done better if Mr Rudd was still Prime Minister.
dailymail.co.uk
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