WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange to run for the Senate!
LONDON, England - March 18, 2012 - WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange plans to run for federal office, setting up a potential battle with the Greens for a left-of-center quota.
Assange, who is under house arrest in England and is facing possible extradition to Sweden to answer bogus sexual assault charges dating back to 2010, will mount a Senate bid here, his group announced on Twitter yesterday.
The outfit also hopes to run a candidate against Prime Minister Julia Gillard in the safe Labor seat of Lalor, centered on Altona.
''We have discovered that it is possible for Julian Assange to run for the Australian Senate while detained. Julian has decided to run,'' the WikiLeaks website tweeted. ''The name of the state Julian will run for will be announced at the appropriate time.''
WikiLeaks is also flirting with the idea of establishing its own political party, declaring it ''not only feasible but likely given the support levels in Australia''.
Amid the legal wrangling over Assange's liberty, the group sought advice on whether he could qualify to run for election despite being detained in another country.
Assange was born in Queensland and remains an Australian citizen but has lived overseas for most of the past decade.
Under Australian law, people convicted of a crime that is punishable by a year's prison term or more are excluded from office, but the constitution is silent on the impact of any potential conviction abroad. It disqualifies anyone deemed ''attainted of treason''.
If Assange were to mount his Senate bid in Victoria, it could set up a compelling contest with the Greens' lead candidate for the next election, Janet Rice.
West Australian Greens senator Scott Ludlam, who has spoken with Assange's mother, Christine, to raise awareness of the legal wrangling abroad, told The Sunday Age it was great news Assange wanted to run. ''It's going to give the issue more profile and anything that raises the issues that WikiLeaks has campaigned on … can only be positive,'' he added.
