Australia to Hold General Elections on May 21

Scott Morrison, Australia's prime minister, announced on Sunday that a federal election will be held on May 21. Morrison told reporters in Canberra, "Our government is not flawless, and we have never claimed to be."

"But we are forthright, and although you may see certain weaknesses, you can also see what we have accomplished for Australia in extraordinarily trying times," he continued.

"You can see what we're up to. Our strategy will result in more and better jobs, as well as the lowest unemployment rate in more than 50 years."

A poll conducted on April 3 immediately after the government issued the national budget gave the opposition Labor Party a 54 percent approval rating and the ruling coalition a 46 percent approval rating, just ahead of the elections for a new three-year legislative term.

The coalition, which has been in power since 2013, presently has 76 seats in the 151-member house, which is the bare minimum required for a majority. The Labor Party has 68 seats in the House of Commons.

Since 2007, Morrison has become the first Australian prime minister to serve a complete three-year term.

"Others will want to make this election about me," Morrison added, "but it is about the people watching here right now."

"It's all about them," says the narrator. What we've shown over the last three years is our ability to make the decisions that have propelled Australia's recovery to the forefront of the globe."

The declaration of election dates has set the stage for a six-week campaign pitting the Liberal-National Coalition against Anthony Albanese's Labor Party.