Well, the voting is over, and the tallying has begun, in what could be the closest election in over 70 years in Australia. The election may in fact result in a hung parliament. Officials on both sides of the general election between Julia Gillard, and Tony Abbott stated that it looks like neither side may win an outright majority in the lower house which consists of 150 seats.

Opinion polls which were done right before polling began, indicated a 50 percent vote for each candidate. The election, which is already being compared to the 2000 United States election in which George W Bush narrowly defeated Al Gore, after weeks of vote recounting, could drag on for a while before the Australian people know for a fact who their next Prime Minister will be. If neither side can obtain the 76 lower house seats required to lock up the position of Prime Minister, than the fate of the country will rest solely in the hands of 3 Independent party members and one new Green party member. Over 14 million people showed up to vote, and it may turn out that each and every one of their votes actually meant something.