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.