Australia votes on whether first woman PM survives

Australians chose between electing their fourth prime minister in three years or sticking with their first woman leader in a tight race Saturday that pit her against a conservative male challenger just two months after she took power.

Julia Gillard, a 48-year-old former lawyer with a common law hairdresser spouse, came to power in a June 24 internal coup in her center-left Labor Party during the first term of her predecessor, and almost immediately called elections to confirm her mandate. (AP)