Australian PM calls leadership ballot

CANBERRA - Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard put her job on the line on Thursday, announcing a leadership ballot in hopes of quashing a comeback by Kevin Rudd, the colleague she ousted in a Labor Party coup nearly two years ago.

The vote by party lawmakers, scheduled for Monday, is an effort by Gillard to knock down a power struggle that has been percolating for weeks, and that spilled over onto the world stage on Wednesday when Rudd resigned as foreign minister during an official trip to the US. The fight could lead to the collapse of the government and early elections.

In Washington, Rudd would not say whether he will challenge Gillard in the leadership ballot, telling reporters on Wednesday night he would announce that decision when he returns to Australia on Friday. But he said he believes the Labor Party will lose national elections scheduled for next year if Gillard remains its leader.