Independents break election deadlock in Australia!
MELBOURNE, Australia - September 7, 2010 - Two independent lawmakers from rural Australia broke a parliamentary deadlock on Tuesday, giving the country its first elected female prime minister.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who replaced Kevin Rudd as leader of the center-left Labor Party in June, now has the votes to form a government, but lacks a mandate.
A national election on August 21 didn't produce a clear winner. That pitted Gillard against conservative Tony Abbott in the quest for the independents' support. Gillard and Abbott needed 76 votes for a parliamentary majority.
Independent parliament members Bob Katter, Rob Oakeshott and Tony Windsor held the upper hand in down-to-the-wire political deal making. In the final hour, Katter announced that he would cast his vote with Abbott. Then Windsor and Oakeshott sided with Gillard.
At a news conference on Tuesday afternoon, Windsor and Oakeshott spelled out how they made their decisions.
They described negotiation points that included the need to balance rural priorities with urban ones, such as broadband access and education.
"No one in any city needs to be scared. We are asking for equity," Oakeshott said.
