Polls close in tightly contested Australian by-election

FILE PHOTO: Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison speaks during a joint press conference held with New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern at Admiralty House in Sydney, Australia, February 28, 2020. REUTERS/Loren Elliott/File Photo

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Polling closed on Saturday in an Australian by-election being seen as a referendum on Prime Minister Scott Morrison's handling of bushfires and the COVID-19 pandemic, with a tight contest expected.

The result in the bushfire-hit electorate of Eden-Monaro will not affect the balance of power in Australia's parliament, but it may be a barometer of opinion on Morrison, whose popularity fell over his handling of the devastating fires but seems to have improved with his response to the new coronavirus.