Sober decisions

• The centre-left Labor party won 87 out of 151 seats in the Australian general election, becoming the first Australian leader to win a second term in over two decades.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Albanese for his “emphatic mandate” and commitment to India-Australia bilateral ties and Indo-Pacific cooperation.

• Albanese’s re-election comes despite a rocky three-year term since 2022, with low ratings on issues such as the economy, inflation, and immigration.

• The turnaround is seen as mirroring the results in Canada, where a dark horse centre-left Liberal party candidate, Mark Carney, won.

• Australian opposition candidate Peter Dutton, seen as a Trump policy admirer, was seen as having a negative impact on Albanese’s chances.

• Lawrence Wong, whose party won its 14th term, made Trump’s policies a rallying cry during his campaign.

• Voters chose sober candidates seen as more rational at the wheel, not those seen as tough leaders with strong rhetoric.