18 May 2019, Sydney (BBC)
Counting is under way in Australia in one of the most closely fought general elections in years.
Early exit polls suggested a narrow victory for the opposition Labor Party, but early counting puts the incumbent Liberal coalition ahead.
A win for Labor would make its leader Bill Shorten the next PM, succeeding centre-right Liberal Scott Morrison.
Australia has mandatory voting and a record 16.4 million enrolled voters.
Both leaders were out early at polling booths on Saturday, in a last-ditch pitch for votes.
Shortly after polls in the east of the country closed, a Nine-Galaxy poll showed Labor beating the Liberal coalition 52-48, with a parliamentary majority. The poll was based on 3,300 voters in 33 seats.
But live vote tallies and projections from Australia’s national broadcaster, ABC News showed a small swing to the governing Liberal coalition – a result which if sustained across the nation would confound most pre-election opinion polling.
In such a close race, the final result of the election may not be known for some hours.
Meanwhile, former Prime Minister Tony Abbott conceded that he had lost his seat in Warringah to former Olympic skier Zali Steggall.
