Australian election won by sausage outrage, Harambe and uncertainty
As Australians wake Sunday, they will find themselves without a clear election winner, but with some definite winners on social media.
The results of the federal election Saturday remain up in the air, with some analysts predicting the close count will create a hung parliament, with neither of the two major parties given a firm mandate to lead. The final tally is not expected to be known until Tuesday.
Given neither candidate for prime minister has yet made it over the line, who won Australian politics in 2016? Twitter, of course.
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Sausage sizzle outrage
In Australia, an election is synonymous with sausage sandwiches on plain white bread, complete with burnt onions and tomato sauce.
As voting takes place in public schools and church halls around the country, sausage sizzles, otherwise known as barbecues, are a beloved tradition. The #ausvotes hashtag on Twitter even came with a tiny sausage sandwich emoji.
So imagine the horror when Labor Party leader Bill Shorten was spotted eating his democracy sausage with completely erroneous technique.
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Eating a sausage sandwich from the middle? Insanity. Naturally, Twitter had a field day.
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Let's not forget the former Australian prime minister, Tony Abbott, once ate an onion. Raw. At least Shorten grappled with cooked meat products.
Australia votes for Harambe, the gorilla that died
Harambe, the gorilla who died in May at a Cincinnati zoo after a toddler fell in his enclosure, has found an intriguing second life online.
He has been a long running punchline on Australian Twitter, and Saturday, he won at least a few votes. The fact that Harambe is, you know, no longer around and never seemed to have a particular interest in politics did not seem to be an issue.
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For others, Harambe acted a spiritual advisor during the 2016 election.
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Vote 1: Dick pics
Notoriously, the Australian Electoral Commission will count a ballot as valid even if adorned with a sketch of a penis.
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So people did not resist the temptation in 2016.
Yep, hours of amusement to be had just doing your civic duty.
We've got a good few days of counting ahead of us guys, so keep up the good work.
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Topics Politics
Ariel Bogle was an associate editor with Mashable in Australia covering technology. Previously, Ariel was associate editor at Future Tense in Washington DC, an editorial initiative between Slate and New America.
