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Australia PM Julia Gillard calls leadership ballot | |
(35 minutes later) | |
Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard has called a Labor party leadership ballot, after supporters of rival Kevin Rudd sought to force a vote. | |
The vote will take place on Wednesday evening. It is not yet clear whether Mr Rudd will put himself forward. | |
The move comes ahead of a 14 September election which Labor looks set to lose. | |
Ms Gillard said she would leave politics if she lost the vote and called on any challenger to do the same. | |
Ms Gillard toppled Mr Rudd in a leadership challenge in 2010, but he remains more popular with voters, and there has been sustained discussion about the Labor party leadership in recent weeks. | Ms Gillard toppled Mr Rudd in a leadership challenge in 2010, but he remains more popular with voters, and there has been sustained discussion about the Labor party leadership in recent weeks. |
Ms Gillard said this was the final opportunity for the leadership issue to be resolved. | |
"This is it, tonight is the night," she said. "I wouldn't be putting myself forward unless I had a degree of confidence." | |
The ballot will take place at 19:00 local time (09:00 GMT). | |
Mr Rudd would need at least 52 votes to oust Ms Gillard. However, he has not confirmed whether he will stand. | |
He declined to contest a leadership vote in March and said afterwards that there were "no circumstances" under which he would seek the top job. | He declined to contest a leadership vote in March and said afterwards that there were "no circumstances" under which he would seek the top job. |
Nonetheless speculation that he could return has persisted. | |