The ruling Liberal-National coalition appears to be inching towards victory in the Australian election.
Counting continued on Wednesday in electorates where the result has been too close to call.
The Australian Broadcasting Corp. (ABC) says the government has won 71 seats in the lower house and could reach an absolute majority of 76.
The close result surprised many analysts, who thought the coalition would retain key marginal seats.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has said he accepts responsibility for the government's mediocre performance, with more than 20 coalition MPs losing their seats at the poll. He said that disillusionment with mainstream parties was also partly to blame.
The ABC's election analyst, Antony Green, says the government will win 73 seats at minimum and will hold more seats than the opposition Labor Party.
Postal votes favoured the government during Wednesday's counting.