Election alert for July or August

By VERNON SMALL deputy political editor

The Prime Minister has put the Labour Party on "high alert" as the Government hints at an election as early as July.

Speaking after she addressed Labour's election-year Congress in Wellington, Helen Clark insisted that no date had been set.

However, sources close to her said she was not looking beyond June in the Government's programme, meaning a late July or early August election was increasingly likely.

Helen Clark herself referred to "a number of things we need to do" before setting a date.

"We have got a Budget coming out next week. We have got to get out and sell the Budget, get key votes through Parliament, and we'll turn our mind to it thereabouts," she told reporters.

"We are also very aware of the need to get out and enrol voters and be in a state of high alert for the election."

Sources said the last piece of legislation needed before an election - the Imprest Supply Bill, giving the Government finance until Parliament sat again - would come into the House on June 11.

Labour officials sent a clear message to more than 500 party faithful at the meeting in Wellington that they should prepare for the campaign and enrol voters with more urgency than was normal at this stage in an election year.

Sources suggest a date of July 27 or August 10. October 12 or 19 are fallback options. A November election is being ruled out.



Labour is revealing no details of its manifesto before Thursday's Budget, although Helen Clark said policies would be released "soon".

The election platform would build on the current programme rather than feature major reforms.

It was "not impossible" that an election could deliver a majority government, the Prime Minister said, "and a lot of the feedback I get is that people might welcome that".

Deputy leader Michael Cullen backed her up: "This election is going to be much more of a two-party contest than either of the last two.

"People are looking for a clear-cut result."

But hints that Labour could "go it alone" raised misgivings among key allies.

Greens co-leader Rod Donald said there was support for a Labour-led government, but the last thing voters wanted was for it to have absolute power.

"The memories of 1984 to 1990 are still fresh in voters' minds and they remember the arrogance of that Labour Government."

Many voters were unhappy with Labour's "sycophancy" towards US President George W. Bush and its stance on free trade, genetic engineering and the war in Afghanistan.

"They are looking to the Greens to restrain Labour from turning into National in drag."

Alliance sources expressed "surprise" at the lack of acknowledgment of their party's contribution. At previous Labour gatherings, the Alliance and its leader, Jim Anderton, have received special praise.

But Helen Clark's only reference to the Alliance was to thank "Jim Anderton and all those Alliance MPs who joined us in Government".

Labour's hopes of governing alone were given a further boost in last night's One News/Colmar Brunton poll. It showed Labour up one percentage point on 51 and National down two to 32 from a similar poll last month.

The Greens were down one at 5, and Act was up one, also on 5. New Zealand First was steady on 3, and the Alliance - with no faction specified - was up one at 2 per cent.

A further 0.2 per cent opted for Mr Anderton's faction of the Alliance, down 0.5 percentage points from April. No one opted for a Laila Harre Alliance faction, compared with 0.3 per cent last month.

The poll of 1000 people was taken between Monday and Thursday as news broke of the Serious Fraud Office probe into campaign donations to National. The margin of error was 3.2 per cent.