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Rudd extends lead over Australian PM in latest poll

Australian Prime Minister John Howard has fallen further behind his opponent ahead of elections on Nov. 24 despite promising huge tax cuts, an opinion poll showed yesterday.

After the first week of campaigning, Kevin Rudd's center-left Labor Party stretched its lead over Howard's coalition by two points to 58 percent, the Newspoll survey of 1,706 voters found.

The prime minister's Liberal-National coalition dropped two points to 42 percent of the two-party preferred vote, which strips out the influence of minor parties.

If the poll results were reflected in the election, Labor would win by a landslide, ending Howard's 11 years in power.

Rudd also extended his lead as preferred prime minister from 48 to 50 percent compared to Howard's two-point fall to 37 percent.

The Newspoll was taken before Sunday night's leaders debate which analysts say Howard, 68, lost to his 50-year-old opponent.

But it followed the prime minister's promise of A$34 billion (US$30 billion) in tax cuts if reelected, showing that he had gained no traction from a pledge immediately matched by Labor.

The poll also showed the Labor leader has cut into Howard's lead on economic management and national security issues, narrowing the gap significantly in both areas.

Howard refused to comment on the poll but Rudd said he expected the contest to go down to the wire.

"I've got to win 16 seats and what I also know is I'm up against a very clever and very cunning politician," he said. "It's going to be very tough."
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