Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, seeking re-election in a tight race, is a pragmatic leader who pledged to end divisions but was set back by the failure of a referendum on Indigenous people and the headwinds of global inflation.

Anthony Albanese hopes to become the first Australian prime minister in 21 years to lead a political party to consecutive election victories.

Albanese on Friday called the election for May 3 as his centre-left Labor runs neck-and-neck in opinion polls with the Liberal-National opposition led by Peter Dutton, who has cam