Kevin Rudd (left) stormed to power in Australia as their first new prime minister,
bringing an end to the conservative era of John Howard.


It's now official, Australian has chosen Kevin Rudd, the Labor leader.
That's was very interesting for me to follow this campaign, specially after the huge campaign of last year in France. Here in Australia, the debate is not that strong and politic don't take such a place in aussies life.

BRISBANE (Reuters) - Australia's incoming Labor Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, a Mandarin-speaking former diplomat, has pledged closer ties with key friends and allies after sweeping away 11 years of conservative rule under John Howard.



Rudd, 50, presented himself as a new generation leader by promising to pull around 500 frontline Australian troops out of Iraq and sign the Kyoto Protocol on climate change, further isolating Washington on both issues.

Howard, who on Sunday went for his regular morning walk in the wake of defeat, had won four consecutive elections and was Australia's second-longest serving prime minister behind Liberal Party founder Sir Robert Menzies.