Australia begins early voting for Parliamentary elections

Pre-poll voting centers opened in Australia Tuesday ahead of its parliamentary elections on July 2. "Anyone who can't make it to polling posts on the polling day can vote in the early voting," an Electoral Commission spokesman said. 

    About four million voters are expected to cast their ballots in the early votes. In 2013, more than 3.7 million people voted early, representing 27 per cent of votes. In Australia, voting is compulsory. Around 16 million people are enrolled to vote, almost a million more than the 2013 elections. 

    Australian political parties have been running their election campaign since May 9. 1,625 candidates are contesting the 2016 federal election, with 631 candidates for the 76 senate vacancies and 994 candidates for the 150 House of Representatives seats across Australia. 

    Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is leading Liberal party-led coalition effort with the focus on jobs and economic growth, while opposition leader of the Labour party, Bill Shorten, is focussed on education and health. Latest polls have put the ruling coalition level with the opposition

Source: QNA