AFP, London :
Britain is revving up for one of the tightest and most unpredictable elections in memory, as Prime Minister David Cameron fights to retain power and call a referendum on European Union membership
A fragmented vote yielding a new coalition is seen as the most likely outcome, thrusting smaller parties into the limelight in a country that is still used to a traditional split between Conservatives and Labour.
The campaign so far has been dominated by the rise of the anti-EU UK Independence Party (UKIP), and peppered with debate on immigration, health spending and economic wellbeing during a recovery following years of austerity.
If Cameron’s Conservatives win outright on May 7, the premier has said he will seek to renegotiate Britain’s relationship with the European Union before calling an in-or-out referendum on membership by the end of 2017.
But as the 100-day countdown to elections begins Tuesday, experts predict that neither the Conservatives nor Labour will secure a majority in the 650-seat House of Commons.
Instead Britain could face days of uncertainty-with some experts even warning that the result may be so unclear that new elections will have to be held.
