HAD youngsters from the North-East been able to vote in this month's General Election, the country may now have Charles Kennedy as its Prime Minister, according to a survey.

The Liberal Democrats won an overwhelming majority of the votes of young people from our region in the 2005 Y Vote Mock Elections, held across the UK. The Conservatives were second and Labour third.

The results, published yesterday by the Hansard Society, The Electoral Commission and the Department for Education and Skills, show a contrast between the political attitudes of voters in the mock elections and their adult counterparts.

The young voters revealed their support for the UK's third largest party - which gained 42 per cent of school pupils' votes.

The Conservatives received 24 per cent, and Labour 17 per cent.

About 800,000 pupils at more than 2,100 schools registered for the Y Vote Mock Elections, making this year's the largest in the programme's 50-year history.

Michael Raftery, the mock election's project manager at the Hansard Society, said: "It is fantastically encouraging to see that so many students took part in this year's mock elections. The results indicate that young people, who are affected less by policies on taxation, for example, often take a greater interest in broader issues that they feel passionate about, such as the environment."

Beccy Earnshaw, outreach manager at The Electoral Commission, said: "Evidence suggests that a lack of understanding about politics is one of the main barriers to young people's participation in elections.

"By giving young people across the UK the opportunity to experience the electoral process and political campaigning first hand, the Y Vote Mock Elections have encouraged thousands of pupils to learn about politics in an active, fun and engaging way."