Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard Saturday announced general elections to be held August 21, dpa reported.
After a week of mounting speculation she met with Governor General Quentin Bryce Saturday morning and in accordance with the constitution asked to dissolve parliament for the early election.
Gillard has moved quickly since ousting Kevin Rudd as prime minister less than a month ago in a surprise coup.
Rudd was forced to resign when opinion polls showed he would lose the election which was due before the end of the year and a majority of Labor lawmakers wanted his then-deputy Gillard to take over.
Opinion polls in the past week give Gillard's Labor government a 4 to 6-per-cent lead over the conservative Liberal/National Party Opposition. Betting agencies have Labor firm favourite to win.