YEREVAN, APRIL 19, ARMENPRESS: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange plans to run for political office in Australia. The Queensland-born fugitive says he intends to contest an upper house seat in the senate at a general election due later this year, reports Armenpress, referring to international sources.  

WikiLeaks has drawn international attention and controversy for publishing secret information from governments and corporations.

  Now, the WikiLeaks Party will run candidates in Australia's most populous states, Victoria and New South Wales, and Western Australia. The candidates' identities will be revealed in the next month.  They will contest seats in the federal Senate, Australia's upper house of parliament.

  Assange will fight for a seat in Victoria. A spokesman says the new party is committed to free speech, human rights, self-determination for indigenous Australians and "truth and transparency" for governments and corporations. Assange has the support of GetUp!, an Australian online campaign group that has more than 600,000 members.

Polling last year indicated that 25 percent of Australians would be likely to vote for Assange, with significant support among the young and Greens voters.