Australian authorities declare final results after election

By ROD McGUIRK
Associated Press

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Authorities have declared the final seats in a greener, more fragmented Australian Parliament following May 21 elections. The election brought Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s center-left Labor Party to power for the first time in nine years. The Australian Electoral Commission on Wednesday declared a Victoria state seat the 77th won by Labor in the 151-seat House of Representatives where parties need to control a majority to form government. The opposition conservative Liberal Party was later declared the winner of the Western Australia state seat of O’Connor. Labor’s majority means that the government will not have to negotiate to get legislation through the lower chamber. But that is not the case in the Senate, where Labor holds only 26 of the 76 seats.