The Hindu : Front Page : Fourth term for Howard

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Oct 10, 2004

Front Page

Front Page

Fourth term for Howard

By P. S. Suryanarayana

SINGAPORE, OCT. 9. The Australian Prime Minister, John Howard, tonight led his Conservative coalition to an impressive victory in the country's general election held earlier in the day. Celebrating his successful attempt for a fourth consecutive term at the helm, the 65-year-old Howard hailed Australia's "stand for democracy and stand against terrorism" on the international stage.

Even as he sought to turn the spotlight on Australia's international role, after having campaigned more on the strength of the country's economic `resilience' under his leadership, the opposition Labor leader, Mark Latham, who had defined the campaign themes, pledged to "make sure the Government was held to account" in the new parliamentary term.

The leaders spoke after computer-based projections of the voting indicated that the ruling Liberal-National coalition could win up to 87 seats in the 150-member House of Representatives, a gain of five seats.

Before casting ballot, Mr. Latham expressed satisfaction over the way he had run his campaign and saw the tight race as a "celebration of democracy''.

Mr. Howard made a pitch for re-election on the basis of the country's "prosperity and strength" during the past eight-and-a-half years of his governance.

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