Papers mull Australia election 'quake'

Mr Rudd is to become Australia's 26th prime minister

Newspapers in the Asia-Pacific region have differing opinions over the election defeat of Australia's Prime Minister John Howard by his Labor opponent Kevin Rudd.

Much of the Australian press portray it as a watershed for the nation's politics, but media in other nations seem convinced it will be business as usual.

SYDNEY MORNING HERALD

An earthquake has transformed the landscape: a new generation of Labor politicians has arisen to manage the national agenda, and the Liberal Party has collapsed into turmoil after the loss of power in every parliament in the land.

THE AGE

Australia's political landscape has changed utterly. The Howard era is over. Emphatically it is over.

LINDY EDWARDS IN THE CANBERRA TIMES

In 1996, Howard came to power championing those that had felt marginalised by the change. They were dubbed the Howard battlers ... He blundered in his last term, unravelling his own "champion of the battlers" myth by introducing Work-Choices. He could no longer convincingly claim to be the representative of the battlers. However, history will record that, even without that mistake, Howard always had a use-by date.

GLEN MILNE IN THE AUSTRALIAN

From this day forth no government can rely on the successful management of the economy to guarantee its re-election. The message from election 2007 is that long-serving governments must demonstrate the will to renew both their ideas and their leadership to survive in the modern electoral era.

NEW ZEALAND HERALD

The victory of Kevin Rudd's Labor Party confirms yet again that there comes a time when it is not enough merely to appeal to voters on the basis of an outstanding record. At that stage in the political cycle, the electorate's view of a leader can turn. A feeling that it is time for a change will take root.

THE PRESS, NEW ZEALAND

Howard met the fate of all who try to cling to power for too long - a stinging reverse that, in this case, has delivered a comprehensive victory to the Labor Party.

JAWA POS, INDONESIA

Under Kevin Rudd, Australia must be more egalitarian and abandon the arrogance of being the US' sheriff in Asia-Pacific. Rudd must not maintain Howard's bossy style.

AHMAD ALI NURDIN IN PIKIRAN RAKYAT, INDONESIA

Howard's downfall has further confirmed the assumption that world politicians who follow US President George Bush's policy will collapse sooner or later. After the resignation of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, now it is Howard's turn to fall. For Indonesia, it is hoped that the new Australian leader can build more equal and friendly bilateral relations.

ZHONGGUO QINGNIAN BAO, CHINA

Australia's diplomatic priorities will not change, and foreign policy priorities towards the US will not change... Rudd's 'China expertise' is the result of acquired learning and personal interest, and he is first of all an Australian citizen and second Australian prime minister.

SUNDAY MORNING POST, HONG KONG

For Asia and particularly China, it will be business as usual... Debate over closer relations with Asia as opposed to traditional ties with the US and Britain has long been overtaken by economic and cultural links with Asia through trade. Australia will continue to fuel China's industrial growth with raw materials.

BBC Monitoring selects and translates news from radio, television, press, news agencies and the internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages. It is based in Caversham, UK, and has several bureaux abroad.