Polls open in Australia 'Super Saturday' by-elections
Australia's political leaders made last-gasp bids to sway voters Saturday as polls opened in five by-elections that could see the conservative government boost its wafer-thin parliamentary majority.
The seats are being contested following a string of forced resignations in the opposition Labor party after the High Court reaffirmed an obscure provision in the 1901 constitution that bars dual citizens from elected office.
Picking up just one of them will double Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's parliamentary majority to two.The outcome is also being seen as a barometer on Turnbull's re-election prospects and whether opposition Labor leader Bill Shorten should potentially be replaced ahead of national polls due by May next year.
Half a million people are eligible to vote. Two of the five seats are considered Labor strongholds while another looks likely to remain with the independent Centre Alliance.
