Howard heading for landslide election defeat: poll
Tuesday, 13 November 2007
SYDNEY, Nov 12 (AFP): Australian Prime Minister John Howard is headed for a landslide defeat at elections next week, according to an opinion poll Monday which showed the opposition surging ahead.
The centre-left Labor Party gained two percentage points over the past week to extend its lead over Howard's conservative Liberal-National coalition to 55 percent against 45 percent, the Newspoll showed.
The poll was taken just days after mortgage-belt voters were hit with the sixth hike in interest rates since Howard won the last election in 2004 with a promise to keep rates low.
The centre-left Labor Party gained two percentage points over the past week to extend its lead over Howard's conservative Liberal-National coalition to 55 percent against 45 percent, the Newspoll showed.
The poll was taken just days after mortgage-belt voters were hit with the sixth hike in interest rates since Howard won the last election in 2004 with a promise to keep rates low.