Howard calls Australian election for November

PRIME MINISTER John Howard yesterday called general elections for November 24 that will decide who will shepherd Australia’s economic boom and whether the country will start pulling troops out of Iraq.

Mr Howard, who has been prime minister for the past 11 years, faces a tough battle to win a fifth term against Labour Party opposition leader Kevin Rudd, a Chinese-speaking former diplomat who for months has held a commanding lead over Howard in polls.

The country’s coal and mineral-driven economy continues to boom thanks to demand from China, India and elsewhere.

“People must decide in the weeks ahead who is better able to not only to preserve the prosperity that we now have, but also to build it further and to make sure that it is fairly shared throughout the Australian community,” said Mr Howard. “Love me or loathe me, the Australian people know where I stand on all the major issues of importance to their future.”

Mr Rudd responded by saying Australia needed new leadership to capitalise on the economic boom, and accused Mr Howard of being unable to deal with issues like global warming.