In free elections, the country’s citizens have chosen a new parliament.
Thank you to the record-breaking number of people who voted online and at the ballot box for making this possible – it shows just how many of us are determined to influence the future of our nation.
Many thanks also to the hundreds of people involved in organising the election.
The distribution of seats in the next parliament is now clear.
I call on all of the parties which, at the time of writing, have secured those seats to enter into negotiations as swiftly as possible in order to form a robust coalition. Then, once the final results of the election are officially announced, I can propose that the leader of the party most capable of doing so form a government.
I implore a sense of urgency, as there is no time to waste in this regard. The situation at present does not allow for a lengthy period of uncertainty between the outgoing government vacating their posts and the incoming government settling into their roles.
I also hope that all parties – regardless of the number of votes they received and irrespective of their inclusion or otherwise in the next coalition – are gracious and rational, with no attempts being made to delay the confirmation of the results of the election for no good reason. The electorate is impatient to see a number of social, economic and security-related issues resolved or at the very least alleviated.
I will be meeting with the heads of all of the parties which have secured seats in the next parliament in the coming days.
