Three Australian ministers have tendered their resignations after an attempt to replace Prime Minister Julia Gillard.
Minister for Tertiary Education Chris Bowen, Minister for Energy Martin Ferguson and Minister for Human Services Kim Carr resigned on Friday as Gillard managed to hold onto her position as the leader of the Labor Party.
The decision to quit was due to the support of the three ministers for former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who failed to garner enough party support to replace Gillard after a ballot on Thursday.
The 51-year-old Gillard survived the Labor Party power struggle after Rudd decided not to run in the leadership vote.
This marks the third time that Gillard defeated Rudd in his attempt to seize control of the party, with the previous dispute thwarted in February 2012.
A number of parliamentary members had pushed Rudd to take over the Labor Party amid fears that Gillard would damage the party’s image during the upcoming general elections in September 14, 2013.
Numerous opinion polls have suggested that Gillard’s conservative opponent Tony Abbott has a better chance of winning the election as the Labor Party is riddled with one crisis after another.
GMA/HSN
