Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's Liberal Democratic Party would lose in an election if he dissolved the House of Representatives and let voters decide on his plan to privatize postal services, according to former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori.

Speaking on a Fuji TV Sunday morning talk show, Mori said Koizumi might call a general election for the Lower House if he finds it difficult to pass a privatization bill during the regular Diet session that will convene in January.

If Koizumi does so, "the LDP will lose," Mori added.

The comments by Mori, Koizumi's de facto guardian, apparently reflect his concerns about internal party strife over postal privatization.