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CANBERRA, Australia (AP) - Prime Minister John Howard on Sunday called general elections for Nov. 24 that will decide who will shepherd Australia's economic boom and whether the country will start pulling out of Iraq.
Howard, who has been prime minister for the last 11 years, faces a tough battle to win a fifth term against Labor Party opposition leader Kevin Rudd, a Chinese-speaking former diplomat who for months has held a commanding lead over the conservative Howard in opinion polls.
Howard's announcement marks the start of the official run-up to the elections, though both sides have been campaigning unofficially for weeks.
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