Australians have woken up to a government plagued by uncertainty after a stunningly close general election failed to deliver a clear winner, raising the prospect of a hung parliament.
The gamble by prime minister Malcolm Turnbull to call a rare early election may have failed, with his conservative Liberal Party-led coalition on track to lose a swathe of seats in the House of Representatives - and potentially control of the country.
On Sunday, a day after the election, the race remained too close to call, with postal ballots and early votes yet to be counted. Still, Mr Turnbull sounded a confident tone during a speech to supporters.
"Based on the advice I have from the party officials, we can have every confidence that we will form a coalition majority government in the next parliament," he said.
Parties need to hold at least 76 seats in the 150-seat House of Representatives to form a government. When the count was suspended early on Sunday, the Australian Electoral Commission said the centre-left opposition Labor Party was leading in 72 seats, Mr Turnbull's coalition in 66 seats, and minor parties or independents in five seats. Counting was less clear in another seven...
