Turnbull, who in September 2015 became the country's third prime minister in four years, called early elections after passing a reform that makes it harder for smaller parties to enter Parliament through vote-sharing deals. In Turnbull's view, Australia's past decade of political gridlock stems in part from the power that small parties and independent candidates hold over legislation, particularly in the Senate, which has largely thwarted his coalition's agenda despite its healthy majority in the House of Representatives. He hoped that dissolving the House and the Senate would bring about a stable majority that would pave the way for a number of overdue reforms. But the gamble backfired. Several minor parties and independent candidates triumphed anyway, while Turnbull's Liberal-National coalition lost 14 seats and the solid majority it had enjoyed in the House.