Joyce re-elected

Stuff reports:

Barnaby Joyce, the deputy prime minister booted out of Australia’s Parliament because of his dual New Zealand citizenship, has claimed a stunning byelection win to return to his seat.

Joyce’s staggering win in the seat of New England is being touted by Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull as the biggest byelection swing to a sitting government in the country’s history.

In what will be a major shot in the arm for the Australian government and could restore some confidence after a grim few weeks, Joyce appears to have lifted his primary vote by at least 10 points, meaning after the distribution of preferences he will have as many as seven in 10 votes in the New South Wales seat.

That’s a huge swing and result. It indicates voters don’t think the balance of power in Parliament should change due to the by-elections caused by the dual citizenship fiasco.

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