Australia PM Albanese calls national election for May 3

Australia Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Friday called a national election for May 3, launching a five-week campaign which is set to be dominated by cost-of-living pressures.

Albanese's Labor party won a majority at the last federal election in 2022, but most recent opinion polls show the party neck-and-neck with the opposition Liberal-National coalition when votes from smaller parties are redistributed.