Australian Leader Defeated in Election
Pastor Dale Morgan
Nov 24, 10:04 PM EST
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Australian Leader Defeated in Election*
By ROHAN SULLIVAN
Associated Press Writer
SYDNEY, Australia (AP) -- Conservative Prime Minister John Howard, one
of the Bush administration's staunchest allies, suffered a humiliating
election defeat Saturday at the hands of an opposition leader who has
vowed to pull troops out of Iraq.
Labor leader Kevin Rudd, a Chinese-speaking former diplomat, has also
promised to sign the Kyoto Protocol on global warming, leaving the U.S.
as the only industrialized country not to have joined it.
Howard, who reshaped his country's image abroad with unwavering support
for the war in Iraq, dominated Australian politics for more than a
decade but failed to read the signs that voters had grown tired of his rule.
Adding to the sting of his party's decisive defeat, official results
showed Howard was likely to lose his parliamentary seat altogether. Only
one other sitting prime minister has lost his district in the 106-year
history of Australia's federal government.
The six-week campaign was fought largely over domestic issues such as
economic management, and Howard's unpopular labor law reforms that
critics say strip workers of their rights.
But a strong underlying factor was the prospect of a generational change.
Rudd, who was expected to be sworn in as prime minister in the coming
week, had accused Howard of being out of touch with modern Australia and
ill-prepared to deal with issues such as climate change and high-speed
Internet.
Howard campaigned on his economic management, arguing that his
government was mostly responsible for 17 years of unbroken economic
growth, fueled by Chinese and Indian demand for Australian coal and
other minerals. He contended that Rudd could not be trusted to maintain
prosperous times.
Rudd promised to pull Australia's 550 combat troops from Iraq in a
phased withdrawal, and to quickly sign Kyoto. Howard had rejected
withdrawal plans for Australia's troops in Iraq, and refused to ratify
the pact on reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
"Today the Australian people have decided that we as a nation will move
forward," Rudd said in a victory speech before hundreds of cheering
supporters in his home state of Queensland. "To plan for the future, to
prepare for the future, to embrace the future and together as
Australians to unite and write a new page in our nation's history."
Australia is the latest country to see elections turn out governments
that contributed to the U.S. war in Iraq.
Poland's new prime minister, Donald Tusk, has vowed to take a firmer
stand in relations with the United States. He said in his inaugural
address Friday that by the end of next year Poland would withdraw its
900 troops from Iraq, where it leads an international contingent of
about 2,000 soldiers from 10 nations in the south-central part of the
country.
Howard had stayed on to fight for a fifth term in office despite months
of negative opinion poll numbers and appeals from some colleagues to
quit. He took the blame for his government's defeat.
"I accept full responsibility for the Liberal Party campaign, and I
therefore accept full responsibility for the coalition's defeat in this
election campaign," Howard said in his concession speech in Sydney.
He said it appeared "very likely" he would lose his seat in parliament
to former television journalist Maxine McKew.
The outgoing government fell into turmoil almost immediately, with
Howard's nominated successor, outgoing Treasurer Peter Costello,
announcing Sunday he would not accept the post of opposition leader.
The surprise announcement opens the possibility of a bruising fight for
the leadership, with outgoing Foreign Minister Alexander Downer and
former Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull likely candidates.
Rudd's Labor Party had more than 53 percent of the vote with over 75
percent of ballots counted, compared to 46.8 percent for Howard's
coalition, according to the Australian Electoral Commission.
An Australian Broadcasting Corp. analysis showed that Labor would get at
least 81 places in the 150-seat lower house of Parliament - a clear
majority.
Few in Rudd's team have any federal government experience. They include
a former rock star - one-time Midnight Oil singer Peter Garrett - and a
number of former union officials.
Rudd has more experience in foreign policy than any other area of
government, and was expected to adopt a nuanced, non-confrontational
approach to diplomacy. He sent "greetings ... to our great friend and
ally the United States" in his victory speech.
The Bush administration congratulated Rudd.
"The United States and Australia have long been strong partners and
allies and the president looks forward to working with this new
government to continue our historic relationship," said White House
spokeswoman Emily Lawrimore.
The White House also applauded Howard's time in office.
"Mr. Howard served the people of Australia well by pursuing policies
that led to strong economic growth and a commitment to keeping
Australians safe by fighting extremists and their ideology around the
world."
Rudd's election as Labor leader 11 months ago marked the start of
Howard's decline in opinion polls.
Howard held his district for 33 years, and his four straight national
election victories made him one of Australia's most successful politicians.