Australia's Kevin Rudd returns as Prime Minister
- 11 years ago
ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION)
STORY: Kevin Rudd returned as Australian prime minister on Wednesday, executing a stunning party room coup on Julia Gillard almost three years to the day after being ousted by his former deputy and less than three months out from a general election.
The reinstatement of Rudd as leader was a last-ditch effort to shore up support by the governing Labor Party, which opinion polls show faces a catastrophic defeat at a poll scheduled for Sept 14.
The Mandarin-speaking former diplomat draws strong popular support but has divided and destabilized his party after launching two failed leadership bids in the past 18 months.
The return of Rudd could now see Australia go to an election in August in an effort to cash in on his greater popularity with voters and an expected honeymoon period with the electorate.
The leadership change followed a series of opinion polls showing Gillard's minority government could lose up to 35 seats, givin
STORY: Kevin Rudd returned as Australian prime minister on Wednesday, executing a stunning party room coup on Julia Gillard almost three years to the day after being ousted by his former deputy and less than three months out from a general election.
The reinstatement of Rudd as leader was a last-ditch effort to shore up support by the governing Labor Party, which opinion polls show faces a catastrophic defeat at a poll scheduled for Sept 14.
The Mandarin-speaking former diplomat draws strong popular support but has divided and destabilized his party after launching two failed leadership bids in the past 18 months.
The return of Rudd could now see Australia go to an election in August in an effort to cash in on his greater popularity with voters and an expected honeymoon period with the electorate.
The leadership change followed a series of opinion polls showing Gillard's minority government could lose up to 35 seats, givin