CANBERRA: Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard called a leadership showdown with rival Kevin Rudd on Wednesday, in a bold move that could see the ruling Labor Party dump a sitting prime minister less than three months before national elections. The moves to oust Gillard and return to Rudd follow a series of opinion polls showing her minority government could lose up to 35 seats at the Sept 14 elections, giving the conservative opposition a massive majority in the 150-member parliament.
“There are no more opportunities, tonight is the night, and this is it,” Gillard said, calling for Rudd to show his hand in the leadership vote at 7 p.m.
“We cannot have the government or the Labor Party go to the next election with a person leading the Labor Party and a person floating around as the potential alternate.” Rudd is more popular with voters and could give Labor an outside chance of victory at the elections, although a change of prime minister could force the elections to be held earlier. Gillard now rules with a one-seat parliamentary majority, with support from the Greens and key independents. Opposition Leader Tony Abbott, the favourite to win the looming elections, has promised to scrap an unpopular carbon tax and a 30 per cent tax on iron ore and coal mine profits if he wins power. Gillard said she would quit politics at the election if she loses the leadership to Rudd, whom she toppled in a leadership coup in June 2010. (PTI)
