Blair calls for May 5 elections in Britain
The Asssociated Press
LONDON -- Prime Minister Tony Blair on Tuesday called national elections on May 5, triggering a four-week campaign that will test a volatile electorate's judgment of the Iraq war.
Despite lingering anger over the U.S.-led invasion, Blair's governing Labour Party is widely expected to win a third term in office, bolstered by a strong economy.
"We are proud of what we have achieved in the last eight years," Blair said after asking Queen Elizabeth II's permission to dissolve Parliament.
"It's a big choice and there's a lot at stake," he added, standing on the steps of his Downing Street office. "The British people are the boss and they are the ones who will make it."
Several opinion polls published Tuesday showed Labour giving ground slightly to the main opposition Conservative Party, although still holding a lead of between 2 and 5 percentage points.
Given the margin of error, the parties were virtually neck and neck. Analysts say, however, the Conservatives would need a lead of several points to win the election due to an uneven spread of constituencies across Britain's electoral map.
The poll will be an important personal test for Blair. A charismatic and dynamic leader, he helped catapult Labour to power in 1997 and win a second landslide election victory in 2001.
But the war, and the government's use of intelligence on Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, which turned out to be wrong, have severely dented his credibility.
Blair's popularity has been further eroded by his close relationship with President Bush and the perception that he slavishly follows Washington's foreign policy without exerting any real influence.
The alliance has caused tension within the Labour party, and one of its parliamentary candidates, Stephen Wilkinson, announced Tuesday he would now stand for the Liberal Democrats, the only major party to oppose the war.
"Who could have thought that a Labour government would become a lapdog to George Bush's right wing Republican administration?" he said.
However, many analysts believe Blair has weathered the worst of the Iraq storm.
His personal ratings have improved markedly from last year's slump and the successful elections in Iraq have provided some vindication for the war.
The government's position is also strengthened by a strong economy and the fact that the Conservatives also backed the war and have failed to land significant punches on Blair over the conflict.