OTTAWA — Prime Minister Paul Martin has set Nov. 29 for a byelection in the riding of Ottawa Centre - although it's virtually certain the vote will never be held, because a general election will be called before then.

The date was announced Sunday because federal election law required Martin to pick a day for filling the vacancy that was created last year, when former MP Mac Harb, who held the seat for the Liberals for three straight elections, was named to the Senate by Jean Chretien.

The eventual showdown in Ottawa Centre will pit Liberal Richard Mahoney, a local lawyer and longtime Martin confidant, against former New Democrat leader Ed Broadbent, who was lured back to politics by his old party to contest the seat.

Although Sunday was the deadline for Martin to set a date, he was permitted by the Canada Elections Act to choose any date he wanted.

By picking Nov. 29, he met the letter of the law but practically guaranteed a byelection will not be needed.

Martin is widely expected to call a general election this spring. Even if he holds off until the fall - as some Liberals would prefer - he will in all likelihood issue the call for a nation-wide vote long before the end of November.