Η Γκίλαρντ (αριστερά) είχε καλέσει σε μονομαχία «πολιτικού θανάτου» τον Ρουντ (δεξιά), στήνοντας εσωκομματική κάλπη για την ηγεσία του κόμματος των Εργατικών(EPA/ANDREW MEARES)
Σε εσωκομματική βεντέττα,εξελίσσεται η θέση του πρωθυπουργού στην Αυστραλία
Ο Kevin Rudd είναι ο νέος πρωθυπουργός της χώρας. Η κοινοβουλευτική ομάδα του Εργατικού Κόμματος τον αποκατέστησε στην αρχηγία του Εργατικού Κόμματος και την πρωθυπουργία της χώρας με 57 ψήφους υπέρ και 45 κατά.
Η πρωθυπουργός της Αυστραλίας Τζούλια Γκίλαρντ έχασε την ηγεσία του κυβερνώντος κόμματος λίγους μήνες πριν τις εκλογές από τον Κέβιν Ραντ, τον κυριότερο εσωκομματικό της αντίπαλο. Η Γκίλαρντ είχε καλέσει σε μονομαχία «πολιτικού θανάτου» τον Ραντ, στήνοντας εσωκομματική κάλπη για την ηγεσία.
To κυβερνών κόμμα των Εργατικών φαίνεται να οδεύει σε ήττα στις εκλογές του Σεπτεμβρίου και αρκετά στελέχη του κόμματος πιστεύουν πως ο Κέβιν Ραντ έχει καλύτερες πιθανότητες από την νυν πρωθυπουργό Τζούλια Γκίλαρντ να σώσει τα ποσοστά του.
Και οι δύο υποψήφιοι είχαν δεσμευτεί πως θα αποσυρθούν από την πολιτική εάν έχαναν τη μάχη της Τετάρτης. Τελικά, ο Ραντ επικράτησε με 57 ψήφους έναντι 45 για την Γκίλαρντ.
«Δεν υπάρχουν άλλες ευκαιρίες, απόψε και τέλος» είχε πει η Γκιλάρντ καλώντας τον Ραντ να βγει μπροστά την Τετάρτη εάν αμφισβητεί την ηγεσία της. «Δεν γίνεται να πηγαίνει η κυβέρνηση ή το Εργατικό Κόμμα στις εκλογές με ένα πρόσωπο να ηγείται του κόμματος και άλλο ένα να θεωρείται πιθανή εναλλακτική» είπε.
Ο Ρουντ σήκωσε το γάντι, λέγοντας πως πειθαρχεί στην έκκληση στελεχών και ψηφοφόρων του κόμματος που πιστεύουν πως θα οδηγήσει σε καλύτερο αποτέλεσμα τους Εργατικούς στις εκλογές. Ο Ραντ είχε εκτοπιστεί με ανάλογη διαδικασία από την Γκιλάρντ προ ετών.
Καθοριστική για έκβαση της μονομαχίας αποδείχθηκε η στάση του «βαρώνου» του κόμματος, Μπιλ Σόρτεν. Το στέλεχος των Εργατικών ανακοίνωσε πως θα στήριζε τον Κέβιν Ραντ -χάρη στο ρεύμα Σόρτεν, η Γκίλαρντ είχε πάρει την ηγεσία του κόμματος πριν από τρία χρόνια.
Τρία χρόνια και τρεις ημέρες μετά την ανατροπή του, ο Kevin Rudd επέστρεψε στον πρωθυπουργικό θώκο ελέω του μέλους της κυβέρνησης που τον ανέτρεψε πριν τρία χρόνια, του υπουργού Εργασίας, Εργασιακών Σχέσεων και εφάπαξ.
Η σημερινή ψηφοφορία ήταν το αποκορύφωμα μίας δραματικής ημέρας για το κυβερνών κόμμα, κατά τη διάρκεια της οποίας βουλευτές και υπουργοί, υποστηρικτές της κ. Gillard, αυτομόλησαν στο στρατόπεδο Rudd, προκειμένου να επιτύχουν την ανατροπή της πρωθυπουργού, παραμονή της λήξης των εργασιών του εθνικού κοινοβουλίου.
Ο κ. Rudd εξασφάλισε την εκλογή του είκοσι λεπτά πριν την ψηφοφορία με την ανακοίνωση του μέχρι σήμερα αταλάντευτου υποστηρικτή της πρωθυπουργού, Bill Shorten, ότι προσχώρησε στο στρατόπεδο Rudd για το καλό του Εργατικού Κόμματος και του έθνους.
Prime Minister Rudd to bring poll
forward after returning to office
Kevin Rudd leaves the leadership ballot with his new deputy leader Anthony Albanese. Picture: Craig Greenhill Source: News Limited
Τι γραφει η ΜΕΛΒΟΥΡΝΙΩΤΙΚΗ HERALD-SUN
KEVIN Rudd is set to bring forward the federal election after he sensationally replaced Julia Gillard as Prime Minister.
Three years and three days after he was dumped by his party on the eve of an election, Labor has returned to Mr Rudd on the eve of another election.
Mr Rudd won the leadership ballot 57 votes to 45.
Mr Rudd said he resumed as PM "with humility, with honour and with an important sense of energy and purpose''.
He said recently "politics has failed the Australian people'' with too much negativity and an "erosion of trust''.
He paid tribute to Ms Gillard, who will end her 15-year political career by quitting politics after she called the winner-take-all showdown to settle the leadership crisis that has paralysed Labor, and made it a condition that the loser retire at the election.
Ms Gillard said Labor could win the election and she was proud she had made Australia "stronger, smarter and fairer''. She was confident "it will be easier for the next woman''.
It appeared Mr Rudd would have enough support from the cross-bench on the floor of the Parliament, with Bob Katter and Andrew Wilkie pledging their confidence.
Sources said Mr Rudd was looking to bring forward the election to August. Ms Gillard had planned to hold it on September 14.
Mr Rudd promised no payback against MPs who had been his most vocal critics but Deputy PM and Treasurer Wayne Swan, Senate leader and Communications Minister Stephen Conroy, Climate Change Minister Greg Combet and Agriculture Minister Joe Ludwig quit their positions to go to the back bench.
Schools Minister Peter Garrett and Trade Minister Craig Emerson said they would leave Parliament.
Anthony Albanese defeated Simon Crean 61 votes to 38 to become Deputy PM. Penny Wong is the new Senate leader, with Victorian Jacinta Collins - who was not a minister - the new Senate deputy. Chris Bowen is tipped to be Treasurer.
Mr Rudd said he had broken his repeated promise not to challenge because "tens of thousands of ordinary Australians'' had begged him to return.
Just three months ago he said there were "no circumstances'' under which he would return to the leadership.
But, with opinion polls showing Labor's support at historic lows, he said it was his duty because under Ms Gillard he believed Labor would suffer its biggest landslide "catastrophic defeat'' in 112 years.
"I love this country of ours and I am doing what I honestly believe to be in the best interests of Australia,'' Mr Rudd said.
Bill Shorten, who played a key role in bringing down Mr Rudd in 2010, abandoned his support for Ms Gillard half an hour before the 7pm ballot. He said he voted for Mr Rudd because he had a better chance of winning the election.
He said it was very difficult choice and he would pay a "great personal cost''.
Mr Shorten had repeatedly said he supported Ms Gillard but told her of his decision before the ballot and said he would resign as a minister if she won.
Ministers Mark Butler, Jason Clare and David Bradbury were believed to have also switched.
It is Labor's sixth leadership change in 12 years.
Mr Rudd, who becomes the first former PM to return to The Lodge since Robert Menzies in 1949, will face a full-on attack from the Coalition in Parliament today _ the final sitting day before the election.
The Liberals launched an ad saying it did not matter who led Labor as the "chaos and dysfunction'' would continue.
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott called for the election to be brought forward to August 3 from September 14 because of Labor's "paralysis''. He said voters should decide the PM, not the faceless men of the Labor Party.
Ms Gillard's key supporters included Mr Swan, Senator Conroy, Nicola Roxon, Brendan O'Connor, Michael Danby, Dr Emerson, Kate Ellis, Kate Lundy, Senator Ludwig and Mike Symon.
Mr Rudd's backers included Mr Bowen, Alan Griffin, Kim Carr, Joel Fitzgibbon, Richard Marles, Darren Cheeseman and Laura Smyth.
Despite thrashing Mr Rudd 71-31 in a ballot in February last year and Mr Rudd refusing to run in a spill in March this year, Ms Gillard called the ballot after repeated leadership speculation and talk of a petition by MPs.
But MPs said the petition was a phantom used to cause turmoil. Ms Gillard said it was "the political equivalent of the Loch Ness monster _ everybody says that it exists but nobody has actually got the photograph''.
She imposed the condition that the loser would leave politics at the election.
"This is it,'' she said. "If you win, you're Labor leader; if you lose, you retire from politics.''
The return to Mr Rudd came on a dramatic day when Rob Oakeshott and Tony Windsor, the two independents who put Ms Gillard into power after the 2010 election, said they would quit politics at the election.
Mr Windsor shed tears as he talked about the attacks on his family for his decision to back Ms Gillard.
He said he would have beaten Barnaby Joyce in the battle for his seat of New England but had a "health issue'' and did not want to be in Parliament three years from now. "As much as I love this job - I don't want to die in it,'' he said sitting with his wife Lyn - who he met in kindergarten.
Mr Oakeshott insisted he was happy to face the verdict of his electors in Lyne but with a young family could not give a 100 per cent commitment to another three years.
A Morgan Poll said Mr Rudd's return had lifted Labor by five points to a two-party vote of 49.5 compared with 50.5 per cent for the Coalition.
