Australia Prime Minister calls election

Heading to the polls: Tony Abbot (left) will go against
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd (right) who has called elections.

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has called a parliamentary election , six weeks after defeating former leader Julia Gillard in a labor party vote. The election will take place on 7 September, and was announced after he visited the governor-general - a formality preceding the electoral announcement. Speaking at a press conference, Mr Rudd said: "This election will be about who the Australian people trust to best lead them through the difficult new economic challenges which now lie ahead". Key issues for the election include the economy, asylum seekers and climate change. Mr Rudd faces competition from conservative opposition leader Tony Abbott, who is favorite to win. He'll also face competition from WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who hopes to win a upper seat in the polls. A recent national survey indicated that 26% of voters would vote or Mr Assange, who is holed up in the Ecuadorean Embassy in the UK,  or other candidates from WikiLeaks in national elections; the poll was of 1,000 people.