Conservatives look set to form next govt in UK

Prasun Sonwalkar
London, May 7 (PTI) Opposition Tories led by a young
David Cameron emerged the single largest party in a hung
Parliament defeating Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown's
Labour and were poised to form the next government possibly
with support from Liberal Democrats.
Out of 624 seats declared, the Conservative party of
43-year-old Cameron won 294 seats in Thursday's general
election, while Labour bagged 251 and Liberal Democrats of
Nick Clegg secured 52 in the 650-member House of Commons.
History was created when two Indian-origin women --
Priti Patel (Conservative) and Valerie Vaz, sister of Labour
MP Keith Vaz -- were declared elected in the polls. They will
be the first Asian woman MPs in the House.
The poll in the constituency of Thirsk and Malton has
been postponed until May 27 due to the death of the UKIP
candidate, John Boakes.
Only 25 seats are left to be declared and even if
Conservatives win all of them, they will still be short of an
absolute majority -- 326 seats.
Liberal Democrats leader Clegg, who has emerged as a
king-maker, said the party with the largest number of seats
and votes should assume power.
Clegg said the Conservatives had the "first right to seek
to govern" after the election.
"I've said that whichever party gets the most votes and
the most seats, if not an absolute majority, has the first
right to seek to govern either on its own or by reaching out
to other parties, and I stick to that view," Clegg said.
"It seems this morning that it is the Conservative Party
that has more votes and more seats though not an absolute
majority."
An alliance, if not a coalition, between the
Conservative and the Liberal Democrats crosses the magic
figure of 326 seats.
Cameron declared that Prime Minister Brown and the Labour
party had lost the mandate to rule. "Our country wants change.
That change is going to require new leadership," Cameron said
and also indicated that he will enter into negotiations to
determine who will form the next government.
"What will guide me will be our national interest," he
said.
Brown, on the other hand, insisted that it was his
duty to ensure that Britain had a 'strong, stable and
principled' government, which pointed towards a coalition with
the Liberal Democrats. (More) PTI PS
MRD


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