From May 9 to date, 3,870,000 votes have already been cast in the 500 voting centers deployed nationwide, and 2,680,000 have been received by mail, the electoral commission disclosed on Thursday.

If that trend continues, it is expected that only the remaining half of the voters scheduled for the current election will participate in the voting on Saturday, the electoral body added.

Australians will elect all 151 members of the House of Representatives and 40 of the 76 Senate members on Saturday.

Voting in Australia is compulsory, and anyone who does not go to the polls faces fines of up to 180 Australian dollars, which is equivalent to 126 US dollars or 120 euros, if they are a repeat offender.

The opposition Australian Labor Party, led by Anthony Albanese, continues to lead in voting intentions, pointing to an eventual defeat for Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s Liberal-National coalition seeking to win a fourth consecutive term, according to polls.

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