Australian PM Scott Morrison calls poll for 21 May
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has called a federal election for 21 May.
Mr Morrison’s ruling coalition holds 76 seats in the House of Representatives – the minimum needed to retain power.
Polls suggest there will be a change of government, with the opposition Labor party, led by Anthony Albanese, tipped to take office.
However, in the last election, the centre-right Mr Morrison won despite most polls predicting otherwise.
Mr Morrison announced the date after talks with the Governor General in the capital, Canberra.
“It’s a choice between a strong future and an uncertain one. It’s a choice between a government you know and a Labor opposition that you don’t,” the prime minister said on Sunday.
Speaking a day earlier, Mr Albanese countered: “They’ve left it too late – they’ve had three years to tell you what they’re going to do.”
Mr Morrison is the first leader to serve a full term in office since John Howard, who won four elections before losing to Labor’s Kevin Rudd in 2007.
Since then, what observers call the “coup culture” of Australian politics has led to a series of short-lived premierships.
Mr Morrison’s Liberal-led coalition is defending a one-seat majority. Even though it has won seven of the past nine federal elections, it may be hard-pressed to do so again, say political analysts.
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