Mahathir flushes guess of early vote

Mahathir flushes guess of early vote

KUALA LUMPUR (AP): Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad on Tuesday dismissed speculation he would call a general election in the next few weeks, a news report said.

Mahathir's decision to cancel a trip this weekend to New Zealand for the summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum had set political circles buzzing with talk of an imminent election.

On Tuesday, Mahathir told reporters in the central state of Pahang that an early vote was unlikely because he was traveling to New York for the UN General Assembly later this month and then to South Africa, Bernama news agency said.

A general vote is not scheduled until mid-2000, but Mahathir has earlier indicated that he could call a snap vote. Mahathir, who has ruled Malaysia for 18 years, has traditionally called early elections and many observers expect him to do so again to capitalize on the Southeast Asian nation's economic rebound.