Australia's High Court on Friday ruled that deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce and four other politicians were wrongly elected because they held dual citizenship, making Joyce and the rest ineligible to remain in parliament, a stunning decision that cost the government its one-seat parliamentary majority and forced a by-election.
Australia's Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull (left) and Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce. Pic/AFP
The Australian dollar fell a quarter of a US cent after the unexpected decision. Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said he accepted the court's ruling, even though it was "clearly not the outcome we were hoping for". Turnbull did not name a new deputy leader during a short news conference in Canberra soon after the court's ruling.
Turnbull's centre-right coalition is now in a precarious position. His Liberal Party is the senior party in a coalition with the smaller National Party, which Joyce led. He must now win the support of one of three independent lawmakers to keep his minority government afloat, with two sitting weeks of parliament left until it recesses for the year. At least two independent lawmakers have promised their support.
The opposition Labor Party immediately went on the attack and threatened to launch a legal challenge to every decision made by Joyce since last year's election.
