Far-right party wins closely watched western Australia vote
The election has been considered an indicator of One Nation's strength after the party surged in the polls over the past year.
Australia's far-right One Nation party has triumphed in a closely watched special election held in Western Australia's state parliament, marking its first lower house victory in the state. The election, which served as a gauge of the party's growing influence, saw One Nation's Luke Herdegen securing 57% of the votes as of the latest tally, while the incumbent Labor candidate claimed 43% support.
According to the state electoral commission, with 75% of the votes counted, Herdegen emerged victorious in the Perth capital. Broadcaster ABC declared Herdegen the winner of the by-election on Saturday. In the preceding year's election in the region south of Perth, the established Labor lawmaker Paul Papalia had won the seat with nearly 47% of the primary vote, trailing One Nation by a small margin of around 8%.
In July, Papalia revealed his retirement due to a family member's illness, leading to the necessity of the special election.
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