Hung Parliament Down Under

SYDNEY, Aug 21, AFP - Australia's Opposition, led by conservative Tony Abbott, was Saturday beating Prime Minister Julia Gillard's party in the race for power, with 73 seats to 70 after a knife-edge election, the ABC said.

But the state broadcaster predicted a hung parliament as neither Gillard's Labor Party nor Abbott's Liberal/National coalition has secured the 76 seats needed to govern in their own right more than five hours after voting ended.

Australia is confronted with its first hung parliament in 70 years, with the ABC's election expert Antony Green predicting the coalition would pick up 73 seats against 72 for Labor, one to the Greens and four to independent MPs.

Australia's first female prime minister came to power just eight weeks ago after ousting her predecessor Kevin Rudd in a brutal party coup before calling an election.

But as she sought a mandate of her own to govern, Abbott ruthlessly exploited her role in Rudd's untimely political demise and the issue overshadowed her troubled election campaign.