|
Aussies to the poll on Oct 9
29/08/2004 09:23 - (SA)
Canberra - Australian Prime Minister John Howard on Sunday called a general election for October 9 with his conservative government trailing well behind the opposition Labour Party in opinion polls.
Howard, one of US President George W Bush's closest foreign allies, announced the long-awaited poll after a traditional meeting with Governor General Michael Jeffery, the representative of Queen Elizabeth II in Australia.
"This election will be about trust", Howard said in announcing the election, which will see the 150-member House of Representatives renewed and half the 76-seat Senate chosen.
"Who do you trust to keep the economy strong and protect family living standards?" he said, noting that Australia enjoyed one of the most robust economies in the developed world after his eight years in office.
"Who do you trust to lead the fight on Australia's behalf against international terrorism?" he added, touching on his other key campaign theme - national security.
Howard, 65, is the first leader from the so-called "coalition of the willing" which invaded Iraq last year to put his political fate in voters' hands - just three weeks before the US presidential election.
And the latest opinion poll at the weekend confirmed he faces the fight of his long political life.
The survey gave the Labour Party under 43-year-old Mark Latham a 55-45 lead in voter preferences in a head-to-head race against the governing Liberal-National coalition.
- AFP
|
News
