Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has called a general election for
September 7. The news comes six weeks after he toppled former leader
Julia Gillard in a Labor Party leadership vote. On Sunday, Rudd flew to
Canberra from his hometown of Brisbane to speak with Governor-General
Quentin Bryce. 'It's on. A few moments ago I saw the governor-general
and asked that she dissolve this parliament and call the federal
election for September 7,' Rudd said in an email to supporters. Rudd was
first elected prime minister in 2007 but was ousted in 2010 by his then
deputy Julia Gillard in an internal leadership vote of his Labor Party.
He reclaimed the role in a similar challenge on June 26 as the
center-left party faced the prospect of a huge loss with Gillard at the
helm. Since then, Rudd has changed several key policy positions, and
opinion polls suggest Labor is closing the lead of the conservative
opposition, led by Tony Abbott. If elected, Abbott has promised to
scrap a 30 percent tax on coal and iron ore mine profits, and scrap an
unpopular carbon tax. In the upcoming election, the Labor government
could fall with the loss of just one of their 71 seats out of 150 in
parliament. hc/ccp (Reuters, AFP, AP)
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