CANBERRA - The leader of Australia's Liberal-National Party (LNP) coalition, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, claimed victory in the federal election on Sunday eight days after polls closed.
Turnbull's victory speech came hours after the leader of the center-left opposition Labor Party Bill Shorten rang the premier to concede his party would not be able to form a government.
"This is a great day today," Turnbull told a press conference in Sydney.
"We have resolved this election and have done so peacefully. It' s something we should celebrate and not take for granted."
The coalition is on track to win at least 74 seats in the lower house of Australian parliament, the House of Representatives, and remains confident that it can win at least two of the five seats still in doubt to obtain the majority required to form a government.
If the LNP is unable to win at least two of the five seats then the party will be forced to negotiate with members of parliament from minor parties and independents in order to form a minority government.
Turnbull emphasized the importance of Australia's two major political parties working together in parliament for the good of the country.
"It's vital that this parliament works. It is vital that we work together and as far as we can try to find ways upon which we can all agree," he said.