John Winston Howard  served as the 25th prime minister of Australia from this day in 1996
John Winston Howard served as the 25th prime minister of Australia from this day in 1996

John Howard of the Liberal Party won a decisive victory over incumbent Prime Minister Paul Keating, marking a significant shift in Australian political leadership.

Howard's Coalition defeated the Labor Party in a landslide election, signalling a change in the nation's political direction.

Born on the 26th July 1939 he served as the 25th prime minister of Australia from 1996 to 2007.

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 He held office as leader of the Liberal Party of Australia and his forthcoming eleven-year tenure as prime minister is the second-longest in Australian history, behind only Sir Robert Menzies

Also on this day, despite Sachin Tendulkar's masterful 137 in India's 3 for 272, Sri Lanka won the Cricket World Cup match in Delhi by 6 wickets; with Sanath Jayasuriya scoring 79 and Hashan Tillakaratne carrying his bat for 70no