International   

Labour faces tough election test

Hasan Suroor

LONDON: Labour Party was on a knife-edge on Thursday as millions of people across Britain went to the polls in what has been dubbed a "mini'' general election, and is seen as the toughest electoral test for the party as it completes 10 years in office.

The outcome would be regarded as a verdict on Prime Minister Tony Blair ahead of his planned retirement in a few months.

A bad result for the party is likely to increase pressure on him to quit sooner than he plans. Mr. Blair appealed to the people not to give him a "kicking'' as he was leaving in any case.

Thursday's exercise, in which an estimated 39 million persons were eligible to vote, involved elections to the 129-member Scottish Parliament, the 60-member Wales Assembly and thousands of local councils in England.

The polling was held amid predictions of a Labour "rout'' in Scotland and council elections.

Even in Wales, where it was comparatively better placed, the party was said to be struggling to retain control over the Assembly.

All eyes were on Scotland where a resurgent Scottish Nationalist Party (SNP), campaigning for an independent Scotland, was expected to emerge as the single largest party, ending Labour Party's monopoly of power

Hectic campaigning

Thanks to hectic last-minute campaigning by Mr. Blair and other Labour heavyweights, including his putative successor Gordon Brown, the party was reported to have narrowed the gap with the SNP but was still trailing.

The main beneficiaries of a poor Labour showing would be SNP in Scotland, and Liberal Democrats and Conservatives in Wales and England. Liberal Democrats are likely to emerge as "king-makers'' in Scotland and Wales if no single party gets a majority.

Though voters said they were concerned about local issues, the campaign in the media was dominated by a debate on Mr. Blair's legacy with critics blaming his policies, especially Iraq, for the Labour Party's decline. Results are expected on Friday.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Mottaki, Rice could meet at Iraq meet
Now, Royal has slight edge
"Other terrorists copying LTTE methods"
Legal battle continues in Pakistan
Labour faces tough election test
Hope of consensus in Sri Lanka
Britain offers help to Sri Lanka
Arrest of Darfur suspects sought
Oust-Olmert campaign
"Rajiv Gandhi questioned security lapses"

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu