New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, pictured 11 June 2007, announced Tuesday that he would leave the Republican Party, in a maneuver seen as possible preparation for launching an independent presidential bid in 2008. [Photo: AFP]

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced Tuesday he has left the Republican Party to become an independent, a move that could clear the way for his possible bid for the White House.

The Board of Elections said the change in voter registration is being processed now and will take effect after the November election.

A spokesperson says the board received the request on Friday, days before the mayor's two-day trip to California, where he continuously attacked Washington and blamed partisan politics for much of the country's problems.

"Any successful elected executive knows that real results are more important than partisan battles and that good ideas should take precedence over rigid adherence to any particular political ideology," Bloomberg said in a statement on his change in party affiliation.

Bloomberg has been sending mixed signals about his plans for months, saying he intends to return to the private sector after his mayoral term. But at the same time, he has relaunched his campaign website and toured some 20 U.S. cities in the past 18 months.

But the 65-year-old mayor has been dodging questions about his intentions and insisted that the change in his voter registration does not mean he would run in the 2008 election.

The businessman-turned politician was a life-long Democrat before he switched to the Republican Party in 2001 for the mayoral race.

If he decides to run, he could tap into his own fortune to fund a third party campaign without making fund-raising efforts.