A new parliament was elected in Australia over the weekend. But there was one curiosity: despite the cold and rain, hundreds of voters turned up at the ballot box without pants. Why?

A new parliament was elected in Australia on Saturday. An important election that has led to a change of power after around nine years. Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s Conservative government was voted out – and the Social Democrats were brought back to power. Labor chief Anthony Albanese was officially sworn in as Australia’s 31st Prime Minister on Monday (local time).

But in addition to the political upheaval, observers of the election in Australia noticed another curiosity on the day of voting: Hundreds of people appeared at the ballot box in swimming trunks and bikinis.

Countless photos of half-naked voters appeared on social networks. And as you can also see from some of the pictures, other voters turned up in hoodies and long pants. There were cool temperatures and rain in large parts of the country over the weekend. But the Australians in swimsuits didn’t let that deter them either.

Straight from the beach to the polling station, that’s probably only available Down Under. That’s how you know them, the Australians, some German media also commented. But it wasn’t love for the sea and the beach look, but a clever marketing campaign that numerous people followed.

SmugglersDecide

Before the election, Australian brand Budgy Smuggler had taken to social media to encourage people to “vote without pants” and share the photos online using the hashtag #SmugglersDecide. The company offers everyone a free pair of swimming trunks from their range.

In Australia, “budgy smugglers” are tight-fitting swimming trunks for men that are cut like underpants and do not cover the legs. The swimming trunks are mainly worn in surf lifeguards and swimming competitions.

“It’s going to be an expensive day”

“We were expecting that maybe a few people would take up the offer to vote for a free pair in ‘Smugglers’… we’re already over 100 and it’s only 11am. Y’all are all crazy, but in a big way good art,” the company wrote on Twitter. “It’s going to be an expensive election day for ‘budgy smugglers’.” The participants of the campaign should now receive vouchers.

The Labor Party does not yet have an absolute majority

While the photos of the voters are entertaining on social networks, counting continues in the states. So far it is unclear whether election winner Anthony Albanese of the Social Democratic Labor Party will be able to govern with an absolute majority or will be dependent on the votes of other parties.

According to official partial results, the Labor Party secured at least 74 of the 151 seats in the House of Representatives. 76 mandates are required for an absolute majority in the parliamentary chamber. A good dozen seats had not yet been determined on Monday morning (local time). The final official end result could still take some time, since the record number of 2.7 million postal votes from the country with almost 27 million inhabitants must also be taken into account. Voting is compulsory in Australia.

Albanese: “I want to bring the country together”

The previous opposition leader, nicknamed “Albo”, expressed hope when he was sworn in. “It’s a big day in my life, but also a big day for the country when we make the change of government,” Albanese said on Monday (local time) before the ceremony. “I want to take the opportunity we have to shape change, so that we take people with us on the path of change. I want to bring the country together.”

Albanese is expected to take part in an international meeting of the so-called “Quad” security group in Tokyo on Tuesday. The 59-year-old said he spoke with US President Joe Biden on Sunday evening and looks forward to meeting him on Tuesday along with the leaders of Japan and India. “This visit is consistent with what the Albanese Government sees as the three pillars of Australia’s foreign policy: our alliance with the United States, our engagement in the region and our support for multilateral fora,” he said.

Morrison, who was controversial mainly because of his coal-friendly climate policy, also wants to resign from the party leadership after the election disaster. A few hours after the polls closed on Saturday evening, he conceded defeat and congratulated Albanese.