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Sydney: Mandarin-speaking former diplomat Kevin Rudd stormed to power in Australia as their first new prime minister in more than a decade on Saturday, bringing an end to the conservative era of John Howard and signalling a sharp change in policies on Iraq and global warming.
Australians emphatically voted for change in nationwide polls yesterday and Howard faced the prospect of being voted out of his own electorate of Bennelong, where he has been the Member of Parliament since 1974. If unseated, Howard would become the first Australian prime minister to lose his constituency since Stanley Bruce in 1929.
Iraq withdrawal
In his victory speech, Rudd thanked Howard for his "dignity" in defeat and for his "extensive contribution to public service". He promised to forge a new consensus by ending the "old battles of the past" between business and unions, and between economic growth and environmental concerns. Howard said in his concession speech: "We've bequeathed to [Mr Rudd] a nation that is stronger and prouder and more prosperous than it was 11-and-a-half years ago."
Rudd has promised to pull Australia's 550 combat troops from Iraq in a phased withdrawal, and to quickly sign the Kyoto Protocol on limiting greenhouse gas emissions. Howard had rejected withdrawal plans for Australia's troops in Iraq, and said no to ratifying Kyoto. But the bulk of Australia's foreign, trade and economic policies were not expected to change much. Official figures yesterday from the Australian Electoral Commission showed Rudd's Labor Party had more than 53 per cent of the vote with over 75 per cent of ballots counted, compared to 46.8 per cent for Howard's Liberal Party. Bush congratulated Rudd and Labor on the victory.
As news spread of Labor's victory, supporters, including Adele Merrett, 50, were delighted by the result. "I was really hoping for a Labor win and am just so excited. We really needed this change," she told Gulf News as results came in.
Rudd moved to allay fears that he may seek to step back from Canberra's close ties with Washington and pointedly stressed that he still regarded the United States as a friend. "I extend our greetings tonight to our great friend and ally the United States," he said.
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