Australian PM Albanese calls federal election for May 3

Australia's federal parliamentary elections will be held on May 3, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced on Friday.

"My fellow Australians, this morning I visited the Governor-General [Sam Mostyn], and Her Excellency has accepted my advice that an election be held on Saturday, third of May, 2025," Albanese said in a press conference in Canberra.

"Over the last few years, the world has thrown a lot at Australia. In uncertain times, we cannot decide the challenges that we will face, but we can determine how we respond."

Australians will vote for the House of Representatives and 40 of the 76 Senate seats.

According to Australian media, the opposition coalition led by Peter Dutton of the Liberal Party is ahead in the polls.

Albanese has been prime minister since 2022, when he replaced Scott Morrison and the Liberal Party-led coalition.