Australia’s Leader Ousted in Vote by Her Own Party
This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by maddezmom (a host of the Latest Breaking News forum).
Source: NYT
By MATT SIEGEL
Published: June 26, 2013
SYDNEY, Australia — The former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on Wednesday pulled off one of the most sensational political comebacks in this country’s history, ousting in a party vote the woman who replaced him as leader of the Labor Party in a 2010 party coup, Prime Minister Julia Gillard.
The victory by Mr. Rudd in a closed-door vote late Wednesday paves the way for an end to the rocky tenure in power for Ms. Gillard, who had called the surprise vote in an attempt to head off a challenge from his backers. Much of the momentum to reinstate Mr. Rudd came from a steady drumbeat of polls showing that the party under Ms. Gillard was almost certain to face a catastrophic loss in elections to be held in September.
Ms. Gillard became Australia’s first female prime minister in a 2010 party coup that ousted Mr. Rudd, who was derided during his tenure for an authoritarian leadership style. But she has seen her poll ratings plummet since announcing in January, unusually early, that federal elections would be held in September.
Ultimately, Ms. Gillard was never able to fully cement her position as leader, owing in part to the manner in which she came to power. She also faced a relentless political opposition that worked hard to deny her the kudos a different leader might have received under similar circumstances and with a similarly wide range of legislative accomplishments.
Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/27/world/asia/australia-gillard-leadership-vote.html
= new reply since forum marked as read
