Australia began the general election

Australia began the general election

In Australia, Aug. 21 at 8 am local time (2 am, Moscow time) opened up the polls, reports AFP. The country held general elections: Australian citizens elect the members of the House of Representatives.
The leader of the party that receives the majority of seats in the House of Representatives usually becomes prime minister. Election 2010 analysts call themselves unpredictable in recent years: according to polls of voters the gap between the current prime minister, head of the Australian Labor Party Julia Gillard, and its main rival, opposition leader, Tony Abbott, is only 2,3 per cent.

Four days before the general elections Julia Gillard said that after the death of British Queen Elizabeth II and her abdication of Australia should relinquish power to the British crown and become a republic. Opponent Gillard, Tony Abbott was in favor of a formal preservation of a monarchical system.

Because of the existing system the highest official in Australia is the Governor General, representative of the UK, according to the nominal representation of which is appointed by the Prime Minister, who already has real political power.