Australia's Labor trails in early counts
Source: Agencies |
August 22, 2010, Sunday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
Australians chose between making a conservative male their fourth prime minister in three years or sticking with their first female leader in tight elections yesterday just two months after she took power.
In early counting, the Australian Electoral Commission said the governing center-left Labor Party was trailing the conservative opposition coalition in the popular vote. It was not yet clear whether Labor would lose its majority in the House of Representatives, where parties form governments.
Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said Labor would lose seats but not necessarily enough to lose the government.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard, a 48-year-old former lawyer, came to power in a June 24 internal coup in her center-left Labor Party during the first term of her predecessor, and almost immediately called elections to confirm her mandate.
She was vying against Tony Abbott, a 52-year-old former Roman Catholic seminarian with three daughters who barely gained the endorsement eight months ago of his own conservative Liberal Party, which has led Australia for most of the last 60 years.
Australians have not dumped a first-term government since 1931 when a Labor administration paid the ultimate price for the Great Depression. However, this year's elections are colored by Gillard's seizure of the helm of her party from former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd after a series of poor opinion polls.
Gillard, a Welsh-born immigrant who grew up in Adelaide, acknowledged before polls closed that Labor could lose its entire eight-seat majority in the 150-seat House of Representatives. Labor won 83 seats at the last election in 2007.
Asylum seekers, health care climate change and the presence of the Australian military in Afghanistan have been the hot election topics.
In early counting, the Australian Electoral Commission said the governing center-left Labor Party was trailing the conservative opposition coalition in the popular vote. It was not yet clear whether Labor would lose its majority in the House of Representatives, where parties form governments.
Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said Labor would lose seats but not necessarily enough to lose the government.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard, a 48-year-old former lawyer, came to power in a June 24 internal coup in her center-left Labor Party during the first term of her predecessor, and almost immediately called elections to confirm her mandate.
She was vying against Tony Abbott, a 52-year-old former Roman Catholic seminarian with three daughters who barely gained the endorsement eight months ago of his own conservative Liberal Party, which has led Australia for most of the last 60 years.
Australians have not dumped a first-term government since 1931 when a Labor administration paid the ultimate price for the Great Depression. However, this year's elections are colored by Gillard's seizure of the helm of her party from former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd after a series of poor opinion polls.
Gillard, a Welsh-born immigrant who grew up in Adelaide, acknowledged before polls closed that Labor could lose its entire eight-seat majority in the 150-seat House of Representatives. Labor won 83 seats at the last election in 2007.
Asylum seekers, health care climate change and the presence of the Australian military in Afghanistan have been the hot election topics.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
