<p><br /> It could take more than a week to learn who will govern Australia as the country's two main parties start wooing independent lawmakers after an inconclusive election.<br /> </p><p><br /> Prime Minister Julia Gillard says she will remain the nation's caretaker leader during the "anxious days ahead" as vote-counting continues.<br /> </p><p><br /> The Australian Electoral Commission website said early on Sunday that centre-left Labor and the conservative Liberal Party-led coalition each had 71 seats, meaning neither could achieve the 76-seat majority.<br /> </p><p><br /> Liberal leader Tony Abbott said he would immediately begin negotiations with independents to form a government.<br /> </p><p><br /> The ranks of the independents in the 150-seat lower house rose from two at the last election to three, possibly four, this time around.<br /> </p><p><br /> Two independents, Rob Oakeshott and Tony Windsor, said they would side with whichever party could provide the most stable government<br /> </p><p><br /> The election results were expected to be the closest since 1961, when a Liberal government retained power with a single seat.<br /> </p><p><br /> Parliamentarian Andrew Robb said his Liberal party will be able to govern immediately, accusing Labor of being "a recipe for instability and division."<br /> </p><p><br /> His counterpart Labor's Bill Shorten said the independents will be negotiating with both leaders.<br /> </p><p><br /> Pundits said Australia's major foreign policy positions, including its deployment of 1,550 troops to Afghanistan, would be unaffected by whichever party wins because both hold similar views.<br /> </p><p><br /> Domestic issues vary across the large and diverse country, including hot topics such as asylum seekers, healthcare and climate change.<br /> </p><p><br /> Markets are expected to react negatively to the results at the opening on Monday.<br /> </p>
