They don’t normally run for the same seats, although there was at least one case tonight where they did, but our preferential voting system means they’d normally pass preferences to each other in that case, and so they wouldn’t split the vote, delivering victory to Labor.
The Prime Minister has phoned Kevin Rudd and conceded. He is currently travelling from Kiribilli House to the Wentworth Hotel to speak.
Thank you.
I see some recent electoral USA-AUS pattern here. Can you check and see if the pattern holds, going back?
In 1993 unpopular Keating (Labor) reelected after Clinton victory in US. Howard (Coalition) wins after 1994 “Gingrich Revolution” and Republican sweep in Congress. Rudd (Labor) wins a year after Democrats take back Congress in 2006, even with economy in generally great shape and commodities soaring in price.