Davey the quokka predicts victory for Australia PM Turnbull

[July 01, 2016]    SYDNEY (Reuters) - Saturday's Australian election is too close to call for many, but Davey the quokka has predicted Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's Liberal party-led coalition will run out winners over Bill Shorten's opposition Labor.

Early voters in Australia's July 2 general election walk to a polling centre past banners promoting Labor leader Bill Shorten (L) and Liberal Party Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull at Sydney's Town Hall, June 29, 2016. REUTERS/Jason Reed

The small four-year-old native Australian marsupial made the prediction at Wild Life Sydney Zoo on Friday after being left to choose between two jars of his favorite eucalyptus leaves, one labelled Turnbull and the other Shorten.

Davey, the size of a domestic cat, initially moved towards Shorten's jar before changing his mind and eating the leaves in prime minister Turnbull's pot.

Australia is set for a cliffhanger election, with Turnbull warning of economic chaos if his gamble on an early poll backfires and leaves him without the outright majority he needs to enact major reforms.

(Reporting by Reuters TV. Editing by Patrick Johnston and Michael Perry)

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