Australia's incumbent prime minister, Ms. Julia Gillard, has avoided humiliation by cobbling together a coalition government. Narrowly avoiding defeat only months after taking office, she presides over the first minority government in Australia in 70 years. It promises to be a difficult balancing act, as she tries to keep happy the four independents who give her a majority in Parliament.
Ms. Gillard called an election weeks after a backroom coup deposed Mr. Kevin Rudd as prime minister. While Mr. Rudd had alienated many voters, the maneuvering that removed him was even more troubling. Ms. Gillard's inability to differentiate herself from Mr. Rudd on key policies compounded her difficulties. The election produced a split Parliament between the ruling Labour Party and the Liberal-National opposition. Four independent politicians held the balance of power and they ultimately sided with Labour.
The result is a knife-edge Parliament that will be prone to bickering and grandstanding. The independents have said they want to see the current Parliament go a full term; it will be interesting to see if they keep that pledge.