Post by ۞Quaalude™۞ on Nov 23, 2007 22:15:31 GMT -5
Voting has begun in Australia in a general election which will decide the fate of Australia's second-longest serving prime minister, John Howard.
The Liberal leader, in power for 11 years, is bidding for an historic fifth term. But opinion polls suggest he will be defeated by Labor's Kevin Rudd.
The opposition needs a huge swing to gain it the 16 seats required to form a majority government.
Participating in elections is compulsory under Australian law.
More than 13.5 million people are expected to vote.
On the last day of campaigning, Mr Howard, 68, rallied supporters by proclaiming that the election was still winnable.
"I believe that there is a bit of a tide coming back. I sense it in the streets," he told Australian radio.
The man he has to beat, 50-year-old former diplomat Kevin Rudd, has been out in front throughout the election campaign.
On the final day of his campaign, Mr Rudd said his Liberal rival had lost touch with working families.
Labor has sought to capitalise on the government's refusal to sign the Kyoto protocol on climate change.
Mr Howard has campaigned on his record of sound economic management.
The BBC's Nick Bryant, in Sydney, says Mr Howard has had a career full of unlikely comebacks - but rescuing this election would be by far the most remarkable.
On Friday, three separate polls put Mr Rudd in the lead, but with greatly differing margins.
An AC Nielsen poll put Labor 14 points ahead, while a Morgan survey put the figure at nine points. A Galaxy poll gave Mr Rudd's party a four-point lead - the best figure for the ruling coalition in months.
Labor needs a swing of 4.8% of the vote to capture the seats it needs to form a government.
Analysts have suggested the race could come down to results in key marginal constituencies, including Mr Howard's own seat in Bennelong, Sydney. QC
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7109692.stm