Australia's Prime Minister John Howard has announced a general election will be held next month.
As he made the announcement, he insisted he was right to keep Australian troops in Iraq despite public opposition at home.
Mr Howard committed troops to Iraq in early 2003 and remains the United States' staunchest ally in the war.
He is facing a resurgent centre-left Labor Party that has pledged to withdraw forces if it wins the 24 November poll.
The prime minister, who is trailing well behind Labor leader Kevin Rudd in opinion polls, said he was facing my day of accountability, as is the leader of the opposition.
He said he knew many Australians did not want troops in Iraq but his position has not altered.
While analysts say Australia's role in Iraq will not be the dominant issue for voters, the campaign is set to focus on the economy, Mr Howard's ouster would mark the fall of one of US President George W Bush's last major war allies.
Other leaders of the 'coalition of the willing' who have already gone or been toppled include former prime ministers Tony Blair of Britain, Jose Maria Aznar of Spain, Silvio Berlusconi of Italy and Poland's president Aleksander Kwasniewski.
