China News Service, Beijing, May 21 (Guan Na) On May 21, Australia ushered in a new federal parliamentary election.

The election will decide who Australia's next prime minister will be - Morrison, who is seeking re-election, or Albanese, the leader of the opposition Labour party.

The latest polls show that the gap between the two parties is small, and voters have low expectations for the two candidates.

  Zhou Shuo, the former deputy mayor of Ryde, New South Wales, Australia, pointed out in an interview with Chinanews.com that no matter which political party comes to power, it will face a series of challenges.

Election stalemate or unpredictable Labour Party or make a comeback?

  After a lapse of three years, Australia ushered in the general election again.

The election will re-elect all 151 seats in the House of Representatives and 40 of the 76 seats in the Senate.

The party or coalition of parties that has won more than 76 seats in the House of Representatives will govern, and the leader of the ruling party will be the prime minister.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, right, and Opposition Leader Albanes shake hands before a debate in Sydney, Australia, May 11, 2022.

  Labour is leading the way in the current polls, but the gap with the ruling coalition is narrowing.

In addition, foreign media also pointed out that independent candidates have performed well, and if both parties fail to occupy a majority of seats, there will be a rare "suspended parliament".

  Zhou Shuo, the former deputy mayor of Ryde, New South Wales, Australia, told a reporter from Chinanews.com that the current ruling coalition is difficult to be re-elected, and the Labour Party is more likely to form a government than the Liberal Party.

Polling data and analytical forecasts also suggest a comeback for Labor is more likely than Morrison's re-election.

  Zhou Shuo believes that Morrison has experienced many "deductions" during his administration.

The first is the poor prevention and control of the new crown epidemic.

The early closure of the border was not timely, the order quantity of vaccines was insufficient, the vaccines that were more acceptable to the elderly were not provided, and the sudden announcement of "coexisting with the virus" due to economic and public pressure, in fact, in the eyes of the public, these are all kinds of problems. Do nothing.

The declining quality of life and the rising cost of living have also brought a lot of pressure to the people.

  In terms of diplomacy, Morrison's various practices have also surprised the public.

Zhou Shuo pointed out that when there are international conflicts or conflicts, Australia strives to be a "vanguard", which damages its international image, and cancels its submarine cooperation with France, which makes it lose its trust in the international community.

  As for another candidate, the British "Guardian" said that Albanese made repeated gaffes at the beginning of the election campaign and could not accurately state data such as the central bank's interest rate and employment rate, causing dissatisfaction among the public and the media.

  Therefore, some media bluntly stated that voters seem to be dissatisfied with the two candidates.

Zhou Shuo said that the first reason for this situation is that Morrison made many mistakes during his administration, and the people were disappointed, so they wanted to seek change.

On the other hand, Albanese does not have a prominent leadership position in the hearts of the majority of voters, and he also lacks the basic knowledge of running a country, which makes people question him.

Anxiety How will Australia change in the future?

  "Australia is more of a country in anxiety, and the hopes and expectations that the election should have produced have disappeared." The BBC said in an article that rising living costs, worsening climates Changes, the threat of Covid-19 and state relations that have not been properly managed have all created tensions in Australia.

  Polls show that in this general election, people's livelihood issues are the most concerned by voters.

Australia's first interest rate hike since 2010 and inflation at a 20-year high have sparked public anxiety.

Voters line up outside a polling station in Sydney, Australia, May 20, 2022.

  "Among the challenges that the Australian government faces on people's livelihood issues, the most important one is housing," Zhou Shuo said. "Secondly, how to balance the interests of the poor and the wealthy is also one of the challenges."

It is also a challenge for the ruling party to repair international relations, especially economic and trade relations, in order to help Australia consolidate its economy and restore the quality of life of its people.

  Morrison had said during the campaign that if elected, he would "make a difference", while Albanese also called himself a "builder" of the country.

So, will this election change Australia's future?

  Zhou Shuo analyzed that, domestically, if the Labour Party came to power, "it will work hard to repair the mistakes made by the current ruling coalition."

But if political parties don't change, not much will change.

Morrison's "changed" was more of a campaign slogan.

  In foreign relations, "no matter which political party comes to power, Australia's situation of using the US-Australia alliance as the cornerstone of its diplomacy and defense will not change," Zhou Shuo said.

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