John Howard Wins; Liberal Pary Demolishes Labor Party

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By MIKE CORDER, Associated Press Writer

SYDNEY, Australia - Australia's Labor Party leader Mark Latham has conceded defeat to Prime Minister John Howard in the nation's elections.

Howard's Liberal Party took a substantial lead over the opposition in nationwide elections Saturday, and both sides had said the government, a steadfast U.S. ally in the Iraq war, was all but certain to retain power.

With about 60 percent of votes tallied, Howard's government had a 52.2 percent of the vote and Labor 47.8 percent, Australian Electoral Commission figures showed. At least one government minister was ready to declare Howard had won a fourth term.

Howard "clearly will be re-elected prime minister tonight at his fourth election," Finance Minister Nick Minchin said on Australian Broadcasting Corp. television.

Labor leaders were already pessimistic about their chances.

"I think at this stage of the evening it's going to be almost impossible for Labor to win this election," Labor Sen. Robert Ray told Channel Nine television. "We are too far behind in too many seats at this stage for victory.

The vote was closely watched in the United States because it was the first referendum for the three leaders who launched the March 2003 invasion of Iraq, with President Bush facing a ballot showdown next month and Britain's Tony Blair probably facing voters next year.

Howard's conservative government had promised to keep Australia's troops in Iraq, while Labor leader Mark Latham had pledged to pull out Australia's soldiers by Christmas. The country has about 900 military personnel in and around Iraq, though none in combat roles and none have been killed.

For Australians, however, the war was not paramount. The government's involvement in Iraq was deeply unpopular, but voters appeared more concerned with the economy, health and education, and had not been expected to punish Howard for his decision to join the U.S.-led coalition.

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