FED:Senate results unknown for weeks

AAP General News (Australia)
08-31-2010
FED:Senate results unknown for weeks



EDS: Reissuing, correcting election timeline in abstract and intro



CANBERRA, Aug 31 AAP - It could be weeks before the official winners of Senate seats
following the August 21 federal election are known, the Australian Electoral Commission
(AEC) says.

AEC spokesman Phil Diak said on Tuesday that the declaration of the Senate was typically
the last thing to be finalised post-poll, because allocating preferences was very complex.

"We can't run the process to transfer surpluses and distribute preferences for any
senatorial contest until all votes are counted, and all below-the-line data entered and
all the above-the-line ticket votes are on the system," he told AAP.

"It is still ongoing in every state and territory."

Declaration votes, including absentee and postal ballot papers, continue to be counted
by the AEC.

It has taken about one month for the writs, naming elected upper and lower house candidates,
to be returned in the past.

Although no official Senate results are known, Australian Greens leader Bob Brown has
already claimed his party retained two upper house seats, and gained four more at August's
poll.

Mr Diak said such predictions were not related to AEC counting.

"In situations where people have claimed (victory) and others have conceded, all of
that is separate to the AEC formally declaring positions," he said.

AAP bsb/mm

KEYWORD: POLL10 SENATE (REISSUING)

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