Australia: Tough to call between Gillard and Abbot
World
Australia: Tough to call between Gillard and Abbot
Parliamentary elections are underway in Australia to decide whether the country's first female prime minister will remain in power or be replaced by a conservative coalition.Julia Eileen Gillard, a Welsh-born Australian lawyer and politician, is Australia's first female Prime Minister since June 2010, after the resignation of Kevin Rudd. She is facing a strong challenge from the rival, Conservatives Tony Abbott.About 14 million people were set to cast their ballots as polls began on Friday. The elections will decide the make-up of the 150-seat lower house and half the 76-seat Senate.An opinion poll published just a day earlier showed that the ruling Labor party and the Liberal-National opposition were evenly split after a hard-fought five week campaign.
