U.K.'s Blair Hints He May Call General Election in Mid-2005

[Khephra]

U.K.'s Blair Hints He May Call General Election in Mid-2005
June 8 (Bloomberg) -- U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair gave his strongest hint yet that he will call a general election next year.

Asked in an interview with British Broadcasting Corp. radio whether he would call a referendum on the new European Union constitution before a general election, Blair said there wouldn't be time for the necessary legislation to be passed.

``There's quite a long process that's got to be gone through first,'' he said. ``It depends when the general election is. If we were to hold the general election -- I'm not saying we will -- but if we were to hold it mid-next year, then obviously it would be more difficult'' to first have a referendum on the new EU constitution.

Blair said no decision on election timing has been made. He can choose to call one at any point within his government's five- year term in office, which ends in June 2006. He called his last election in 2001, after four years in office.

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