Australian Prime Minister John Howard and his government have clawed back some support but still face a likely defeat in elections next month, a new opinion poll showed yesterday.
The Liberal-National coalition gained four points to 46 percent from a week ago while the center-left opposition Labor Party dropped four to 54 percent, according to the Newspoll survey.
Howard's personal rating as preferred prime minister also rose, from 37 to 41 percent, but he still lagged behind Labor leader Kevin Rudd, whose support dropped from 50 to 48 percent.
The results after two weeks of a six-week-long election campaign, focused so far on hip-pocket issues including promises of big tax cuts, show the government in its best overall position since Rudd took over Labor last December.
"What we are seeing is, if you like, evidence there's life in the old girl yet," Newspoll chief executive Martin O'Shannessy said of the government's performance. "There's no doubt about it, the four percent move is statistically significant in this poll."
But the latest figures would still translate into a convincing win for Labor if repeated in the November 24 election.
"Kevin Rudd was looking at 120 seats out of a 150-seat parliament, if it comes back to a 90-seat victory it's just a question of magnitude," said Glenn Milne, a columnist for the Australian newspaper, which commissioned the poll.
"The point is the momentum remains with Kevin Rudd. Labor will welcome the correction because the greatest danger they face at the moment is being seen as runaway front runners," he told Sky News.
Describing the government's position as having gone "from disastrous to bad," analyst Sol Lebovic said the latest poll reflected long-term trends after a surge for Labor in the previous poll over its pledge to cut taxes.
Howard has admitted previously that the polls show the government faces "annihilation" in the election, but expresses puzzlement over why that should be the case when the economy is booming.
Political analyst Nick Economou says part of the answer is simply Howard's political longevity, stretching from his first stint as a minister in the 1970s to the past 11 years as prime minister.
"I think part of it is they just want to get rid of him, they're sick of him."
At 68, Howard's age is also against him in a contest against Rudd, who recently turned 50, Economou said.
Rudd, who describes himself as an economic conservative, is also seen as the best alternative to Howard presented by Labor in recent elections.
"He has built a strong profile and a community acceptance that he is a credible challenger and an alternative prime minister," the Australian said in an editorial.
But the Australian Financial Review said Rudd needed to provide more detail of how Labor would run the country.
"As the likelihood of a change of government firms, the need for concrete policy detail from Labor grows more pressing," the paper said in an editorial.
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