SYDNEY, Nov. 24 Australian Prime Minister John Howard appeared headed for defeat Saturday as the rival Labor Party gained enough support to predict victory.
"I'm a cautious type, but on these numbers so far I think we have enough to form government," said Labor deputy Julia Gillard, predicting Labor's Kevin Rudd would be the next prime minister.
Howard, 68, a Conservative, was in danger of losing his own seat in Bennelong in suburban Sydney and needed a late surge in the eastern states to gain a fifth term in office, The Australian reported.
Howard trailed Rudd in every major poll since January, but had drawn a surge of support in the final days of the election, the Australian said.
Early counting showed the Labor Party picking up six seats in Queensland with a swing to Labor of about 5.7 percent, the newspaper reported.
Copyright 2007 by UPI
