Australian election campaign opens with disastrous poll for Howard

Australian Prime Minister John Howard met with grim news on the first day of his six-week election campaign Monday, with a new poll showing his party is facing political annihilation.

Australia's parliament will be officially dissolved this week and Howard, 68, is seeking a fifth term as prime minister, after setting Nov. 24 as the general election date Sunday.

The Newspoll survey, released Monday by the Australian newspaper, shows the opposition Labor Party maintains a crushing 12-point lead over the coalition, at 56 to 44 percent.

The result is unchanged since the last poll two weeks ago, and similar to the consistently disastrous survey results the government has received all year.

According to the poll, 48 percent of people prefer Labor Party leader Kevin Rudd as prime minister, while only 38 percent prefer Howard.

Speaking in a blitz of interviews on local television Monday morning, Howard refused to comment on the poor poll result.

''The real thing will be on Nov. 24 and I will not be commenting on polls from now until then,'' Howard said.

In a separate interview, Howard said he is still confident of winning the election.

''I believe we can win this,'' he said, before adding, ''I believe the Australian people will vote for strong leadership, they'll vote for the right leadership.''

Howard, who has been prime minister for more than 11 years, has acknowledged his longevity as both a strength and liability when it comes to voters, who seem to be in a mood for change despite years of economic prosperity.

Seizing on Howard's perceived strength in managing the economy, the coalition will focus its campaign on the inexperience of Rudd and his front-bench team.

Meanwhile, Rudd, a 50-year-old former diplomat, has promised ''new leadership,'' while trying to minimize any perceived risk of a change in government by describing himself as an ''economic conservative.''

Major policy differences between Labor and the coalition include the Iraq war and climate change. Labor has promised to bring Australian troops home from Iraq by mid-2008 and ratify the Kyoto protocol, while the coalition is opposed to both moves.