Australia's Turnbull Dealt Blow as Opposition Sweeps Elections
- Labor retains four of five electorates that were up for grabs
- Results are likely to quell talk of early general election
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Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull was dealt a blow by Australian voters in by-elections held Saturday that boosted the main opposition Labor Party.
Labor was returned in four of the five electorates up for grabs even after polls showed that Turnbull’s Liberal-National coalition had a chance to win two. A minor party retained the one seat it already held. The bulk of the by-elections were triggered because incumbent Labor candidates were deemed ineligible due to holding citizenship of other countries at the time of the last national poll in 2016.