Backgrounder: General election in Britain

Two policemen stand guard at the entrance of Downing Street in London May 4, 2005. Britons went to vote on Thursday morning as 46,000 polling stations across the country opened for ballots. (Xinhua Photo)

A policeman stands guard at the entrance of Downing Street in London May 4, 2005.  (Xinhua photo)

  

    LONDON, May 5 (Xinhuanet) -- Britons went to vote on Thursday morning as 46,000 polling stations across the country opened for ballots.

    Preliminary results will be out in the early hours of Friday.

    Some 45 million voters are expected to elect 645 members of parliament from 645 constituencies. Close to 6 million voters have registered for postal vote and completed their voting over one week ago.

    As latest survey conducted for Sky news showed, over 60 percent of people felt bored by the past month of campaigning. It is generally worried that voter turnout might be lower than the 2001 figure of 58 percent, which might seriously undermine the majority seats for the ruling Labor Party, whose leader Tony Blair is contending for a third-term as prime minister.

    To prevent any possible terrorist acts, police are placed outside polling stations where senior ministers vote. Schools, community centers and church halls acting as polling stations are advised to install close-circuit TV and check for explosives. Some schools serving as polling stations simply have no classes on Thursday.

    However, the commencing of voting does not mean an end to campaigning. Blair said on Wednesday that his party would be out campaigning in every part of the country until polls close late on Thursday. Enditem