WASHINGTON, Aug 7: President Clinton won enactment of his deficit reduction plan from a deeply divided Congress Friday night, prevailing 51-50 in a Senate showdown that stood a* a crucial test for his young administration, reports AP.

Vice President Al Gore cast the tie breaker in the Senate. But the decisive vote was cast by Sen. Bob Kerrey. Democrat of Mebraska. the last senator to make up his mind. He declared ho "could not and would not cast a vote that would bring down' the administration.

The bill, with claimed deficit savings of dlrs 496 billion over five years, cleared the House on a 218-216 vote Thursday night.

"Certainly not a mandate, two votes tn the House and one Sin the Senate," Senate Repub ’Kean Leader Hob Dole observed acidly just before the roll call that dispatched the plan to the White House without a single GOP vote In cither chamber,

Democrats said the final passage marked the end of gridlock and pledged additional spending cuts later In the year

The plan s bitter pill of tax Increase* and spending restraint* includes a gasoline lax increase of 4.3 cents per gallon It also reverses 12 years of Republican policies by dumping most of the new tax burden onto the wealthy.

"Sometime* the right thing la not the easy thing." Senate Majority Leader Oeorge J Mitchell of Nalne. said tn a final for the bill. Vote yes, "not your re-election .. . (but). . . based on what I* best for our country."

This is a bad plan." countered Dole. "It raises taxes, and It does little to effectively reduce government spcrxilng or control the deficit.

Die packed Senate galleries erupted in cheers when Gore announced his vote and declared. The president s eco-

nomic program is passed '

All 50 Senate votes In favour came from Democrats. All 46 Republicans and six Democrats voted no'.

But the suspense had been drained from the roll call roughly two hour* earlier, when Kerrey, a rival of Clinton's during the 1992 presidential cam palgn. declared his support.

Enactment of the bill capped months of drafting, bargaining and polishing by the president and the Democratic leader* In Congress a* they squeezed support from Democrats concerned about raising taxes. As late a* Thursday night the president was offering concessions io recalcitrant House Democrat*, pledging hl* support for votes later this year on additional cut* In federal •pending.

It was not known what Clinton * discussion* were with Kerrey.