Greens baulk at English as caretaker

By VERNON SMALL

The Green Party has rejected calls from Act to install National leader Bill English as a caretaker prime minister if Helen Clark tries to call an early election.

Act leader Richard Prebble yesterday urged the Greens to write to Helen Clark and the Governor-General, Dame Silvia Cartwright, to oppose an early election.

In response, Green co-leader Rod Donald repeated his call for Helen Clark to hold off an election until October.

"But we decline Richard Prebble's request to write to the Prime Minister and reject outright his proposal that we support a Bill English-led caretaker government."

The Cabinet Office Manual states that the Governor-General should accept the Prime Minister's advice on calling an election "so long as that Prime Minister has the support of a majority of the House of Representatives".

Mr Donald said the Greens had asked for consultation on an early election. At the very least they hoped to be told before the public.

They favoured an October election to give time for coalition talks and to get the new Parliament under way before Christmas.

"The Prime Minister knows full well that we do not agree with her calling an early election, but Parliament is close enough to full term for the Governor-General to have no good reason to decline an early election.

"If the PM is determined to have an early election, then I hope the Governor-General asks her to explain why she is going early, even though she has no good reason to stop her doing it," said Mr Donald.

But the Greens agreed with Act's underlying point that the Prime Minister had too much power to decide the election date.

The Greens have pledged to support the Government until the election, although they will vote against it after October next year if it lifts the moratorium on the commercial release of genetically modified organisms.

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters has also rejected an early election, saying there is no constitutional basis for one.

"They have no problem with supply and confidence. New Zealand First has seen to that by acting responsibly and will continue to do so," he said in a speech to Opotiki Grey Power members. NZ First abstained on a no-confidence motion over last month's Budget.

Mr Peters urged voters to give him the balance of power, saying they should be "scared" that Labour wanted to govern alone after the election.

"So when you think about it, deep in your hearts, like us or lump us, you really need Winston Peters and New Zealand First."

An election is widely expected late next month or early in August so Labour can cash in on its strong poll support.

Rumours around Parliament suggest an announcement could be made as early as Tuesday, after Labour's caucus meeting.