Tony Abbott: Prime Minister Kevin Rudd

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd: Despite the lack of overwhelming enthusiasm for opposition leader Tony Abbott, he seemed on track to guide his Liberal Party-led coalition to a victory, with opinion polls giving the party a commanding lead over the ruling Labor Party, according to CBC. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd was once widely beloved by the public, becoming the nation's most popular leader in three decades when he took on the top job in 2007. Now, his party is facing the prospect of an end to its six years in power and a long stretch of conservative rule amid deep voter frustration over years of party instability and bickering, and widespread hatred of a carbon tax on major polluters and Australians headed to the polls on Saturday in an election that pits a ruling party marred by infighting and a much-maligned carbon tax against a conservative opposition led by a man who has never been particularly popular and has long been polarizing. Polling booths opened at 8 a.m. Saturday in eastern Australia and were set to close 10 hours later, with western states voting another two hours beyond that due to time zones. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd came to power in June after Julia Gillard's resignation. Tertius Pickard/Associated Press (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.