Pauline Hanson, a fish and chip shop owner turned far right firebrand, made a stunning political comeback in the early hours of yesterday with her racist One Nation party polling more than 9 percent of votes in a state election.
The resurgence of the anti-immigration, anti-Asian party will send a shudder through Asia and federal parliament in Canberra.
"People are fed up with Johnny Howard ... and want a change," Hanson said, referring to federal Prime Minister John Howard.
Although the votes were not enough to win the party a seat in Western Australia's state legislature, they put Hanson back on Australia's political map less than a year away from federal elections.
With 80 percent of votes counted, the party had polled 9.4 percent statewide and captured as much as 20 percent of the vote in some rural electorates, according to figures released by the Australian Broadcasting Corp based on returns from the Western Australian Electoral Commission.
One Nation also acted as a spoiler, directing votes away from the major parties, and will likely hand the party the balance of power in Western Australia's 34-seat upper house when counting is completed -- likely later this week because of Australia's complex electoral system.
Last year, the party Hanson built around herself was widely regarded as a spent force.
Western Australia Liberal Party leader Richard Court, who was ousted as state premier in the election said the One Nation vote was a shock.
"We certainly did not predict that the One Nation vote would be as high as it has turned out," Court said.
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