Aussie PM slumps in pre-election poll
The latest pre-election poll in Australia puts the opposition Labor Party well ahead of the government of Prime Minister John Howard.
A Newspoll survey, published Tuesday in The Australian newspaper, showed Labor's primary vote support up 3 points to 51 percent while the Liberal-National Party coalition was unchanged at 38 percent.
Australia has a preferential voting system and, when this is taken into account, the Newspoll has Labor favored 58 percent to the Coalition's 42 percent to win the general election on Nov. 24.
Howard had succeeded in clawing back some support last week by announcing a tax package but, according to Newspoll, voters prefer Labor leader Kevin Rudd to be the next Prime Minister by 50 percent to Howard's 37 percent.
The survey conducted after both sides had released their proposed tax cut packages but before a TV debate Sunday between Howard and Rudd, which nearly all commentators awarded to Rudd. // Copyright 2007 by United Press International
Comments