Australian leader sets general election for May 21

(CNN)Australia will hold its general election on May 21, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced on Sunday, launching a six-week campaign period, where voter concern over issues like the cost of living and climate change are expected to take center stage.

Morrison made the announcement from the capital, Canberra, after he lodged his formal recommendation for the election date with Governor-General David Hurley, whose authorization is needed to dissolve Parliament and order a federal election.

Stakes are high for Morrison’s center-right Liberal National coalition government as they go up against the opposition Labor Party. The government has faced backlash over its handling of Australia’s vaccine rollout, and more recently over what critics say was a slow response to deadly floods that devastated parts of Queensland and New South Wales.

In a speech, Morrison acknowledged that Australia had faced “incredibly difficult times” and pointed to what he said were his government’s successes in economic and health measures in the face of Covid-19. He said his government would continue to focus on building a stronger economy and “the biggest rebuilding of our defense and security forces since World War II.”

“[This election is] a choice between a strong and tested government team that has demonstrated our ability to make difficult and tough choices in tough times, and a Labor opposition who has been so focused on politics over these past few years that they still can’t tell you what they do, who they are, or what they believe in, and what they stand for,” Morrison said.

CNN’s Jake Kwon contributed to this report.