Canberra, Australia
Prime Minister John Howard easily won re-election in Australia this week, coasting on a booming economy. The opposition Labor Party had sought to make the Iraq war a campaign issue, pledging to bring Australian troops home by Christmas. Most Australians say they are against the war, but polls indicate they did not vote primarily on that issue. Still, the election was seen as the first electoral test for the “big three” Iraq war coalition members—the U.S., the U.K., and Australia—and could provide a symbolic boost for President Bush and Prime Minister Tony Blair in their own re-election efforts. Australia currently has 900 troops stationed in Iraq; its forces, which do not play an active combat role, have suffered no casualties.
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