Austrailan PM Howard reelected to fourth term

Australian Prime Minister John Howard was reelected today in an election that guaranteed him at least a full decade in office.

Mr Howard, 65, is now guaranteed a decade in power, unless he retires early, and will become the nation's second-longest serving prime minister behind Liberal Party founder Sir Robert Menzies.

Opposition Leader Mark Latham phoned Mr Howard to congratulate him on his victory at about 9:30pm (AEST).

Mr Howard claimed victory about an hour later after winning a swing to the government in all states.

"I am truly humbled by this extraordinary expression of confidence in the leadership of this great nation by the coalition," he told cheering supporters in Sydney.

"In accepting their charge to lead the nation I rededicate myself and all of my colleagues to the service of the Australian people."

Howard's conservative government was among the first to join the "Coalition of the Willing" in working to root out terrorism around the globe. Australia is an integral part of the war on terror, and an ally I'm glad we have on our side.

Posted by: mhking at 06:18 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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