Julia Gillard will remain Australia’s Prime Minister after defeating Kevin Rudd 71 votes to 31.
Gillard called a leadership ballot on Friday, after former prime minister Rudd announced he would challenge her for control of the Labor Party.
The ballot was held Parliament House this morning and Gillard triumphed, securing 40 votes more than Rudd.
The result was announced by Labor MP Chris Hayes at 11:20am this morning.
“Once the votes were read out, there was a certain amount of relief on the faces of members and senators,” Mr Hayes said. “The mood was reasonably tense.”
The defeat will be a huge blow to Rudd, who was ousted by Gillard in 2010. He is expected to go to the backbench, but will continue to represent his Brisbane seat of Griffith.
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