Prime Minister John Howard is not locked into retiring during a third term, contrary to most political commentary. In an interview published today (Page C6), Mr Howard was asked about how many more elections he would contest.
He replied, “”I said that if the party wanted me to, I’d lead them to the next election. The indications are that they do want me to. . . . I didn’t say I was definitely going to retire during the next term. But I acknowledge that I’m 61 now. I’ll be 62 at the time of the next election. And perhaps by the time I’m around 64 . . . you might sort ask yourself are you going to perhaps . . .
“”I mean, nothing’s forever … but I’m very healthy. The job
continues to challenge me. The idea of retiring from it doesn’t really grab me at all.”