SYDNEY, Dec 1: The defeat of Australia’s outgoing prime minister John Howard appeared complete on Saturday when his opponent claimed victory in the parliamentary seat he held for 33 years.

Howard’s conservative government had already been tossed out by voters in elections last Saturday, but counting had continued for his own Sydney seat of Bennelong, which was too close to call.

With the tally of postal and other votes now almost complete, former television journalist Maxine McKew claimed the seat for the centre-left Labor Party led by prime minister-elect Kevin Rudd.

“One week after the polls opened I can now say that in Bennelong we are 2,100 votes ahead, we have 51.25 per cent of the two-party vote, so we are comfortably ahead,” McKew told reporters.

“I can formally say that Bennelong is now a Labour seat for the first time.” Howard, who acknowledged he would likely lose the seat but has not formally conceded, now faces the humiliation of being remembered as the first sitting prime minister in 78 years to be ditched by his own parliamentary electorate. He won the seat in 1974 and the following year was appointed to his first ministerial post at the age of 36.

Howard, 68, became prime minister in 1996 after leading his Liberal-National coalition to victory against the Labor Party.

McKew said she was not disappointed that he had not formally relinquished the seat, noting that “Mr Howard and his family clearly had a huge amount to do this week” as they cleared out of their official residences.

“I would like to acknowledge John Howard’s long years of public service,” she added. “He gave 30 years to public life and that should be acknowledged.” McKew’s win had already been factored into the Labor victory, with Rudd appointing her parliamentary secretary to the prime minister and cabinet when he announced his government line-up on Thursday.

Howard’s Liberal Party had also moved on, electing former defence minister Brendan Nelson as new leader. After nearly 12 years in power, Howard was the second-longest serving prime minister in Australia’s history.

As his party picks over the bones of its resounding election defeat, several senior members have blamed him for trying to hang on to power for too long.

Howard had resisted pressure to step aside ahead of the election in favour of his long-serving and ambitious treasurer Peter Costello.

“I thought that it would have been helpful for the Liberal Party if we had been able to actually have a transition before the 2007 election,” Costello told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.—AFP