London--Written off as a weird Westminster insider who only became Labour Party leader by knifing his brother, Ed Miliband is now seen as having more than a sporting chance of being Britain's next prime minister.
Despite his awkward demeanour and frequent setbacks, the 45-year-old has retained an unerring self-confidence, which a growing number of people believe could propel him to the country's top job.
"I've been underestimated at every turn," he said in a fiery exchange with a fearsome interviewer, Jeremy Paxman, during a television grilling alongside Prime Minister David Cameron at the start of the campaign.
In sharp contrast to his often insipid performances against Cameron in parliament, Miliband has appeared energetic and enthused during recent campaign appearances, displaying an appetite for risk-taking.
He took part in a debate of opposition leaders, ignoring warnings he was on a hiding to nothing, and agreed to an interview with acid-tongued comedian Russell Brand, Britain's voice of anti-politics.
Miliband said the kitchen-table interview would make the campaign "more interesting" and he could yet have the last laugh if he manages to win over some of Brand's nine million Twitter followers.
But in a television appearance in which audience members criticised his party's record on public finances and pro-business policies, Miliband was on the defensive and stumbled as he left the stage.
He also appears to have been caught off-guard by the more dynamic style shown by Cameron in the dying days of the campaign following widespread criticism from both sides for a sterile run-up to Thursday's vote.
AFP
