SYDNEY, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Independent political candidate Kerryn Phelps claimed victory in a crucial Australian by-election late on Saturday, a major loss for the country's ruling coalition that will leave Prime Minister Scott Morrison without a parliamentary majority, local media reported.
Phelps' lead against her closest opponent Dave Sharma in the affluent Wentworth electorate in eastern New South Wales state capital Sydney marks the end of a Liberal Party stronghold that lasted more than seven decades. It was a "David and Goliath struggle", the ABC news channel quoted Phelps as saying.
The result "reflected anger in the electorate" following the ouster of former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in an August leadership coup, the channel quoted Morrison as saying. Turnbull resigned as the member for Wentworth following the coup.
Phelps' win will leave Morrison's Liberal-National Coalition with 75 members of Parliament in the 150-seat House of Representatives, with the support of independent and minor-party crossbenchers needed to avoid a no-confidence vote.
