Australia PM surprises with September polls announcement
- Published: 30 Jan 2013 at 09.44
- Online news: Asia
Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard said Wednesday that the nation will go the polls on September 14, in a surprise early announcement as her minority government faces a tough re-election battle.
Parliament House in Canberra is shown on November 17, 2011. Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard has broken with tradition and announced the nation would go to the polls on September 14, saying she wanted to give "shape and order" to the year.
Gillard, who holds power by a narrow margin and is trailing in the polls behind the conservative opposition, stunned pundits by breaking from the tradition of revealing election dates only a few weeks in advance.
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