General elections in the United Kingdom

Before you read. Think over the following questions:

-Have you ever participated in the elections? What kind of elections were those?

- Do you think there is any difference between general elections in the

UK and the RF? What is it?

Read the following text.

Elections to the House of Commons, known as parliamentary (or general) elections, form the basis of Britain's democratic system. Britain is divided into 650 areas, called constituencies. Each constituency is a one-member constituency, as it is represented by one Member of Parliament (MP) in the House of Commons. The leader of the party which has the most MPs in Parliament becomes the Prime Minister.

General elections take place at least every five years. In practice, elections are held before the end of the five-year term. In exceptional circumstances, such as during the two world wars, the life of a Parliament has been extended beyond the five-year term.

The decision on when to hold a general election is made by the Prime Minister. The procedure involves the Queen, acting on the Prime Minister's advice, dissolving Parliament and calling a “new” Parliament. The Prime Minister usually announces the dissolution and calls the general election. Voting takes place within 17 days of the dissolution, not including Saturday and Sundays and public holidays: therefore, election campaigns last for three to four weeks.

All British citizens may vote provided they are aged 18 years or over and are not legally barred from voting. All voters must be registered as residentin a constituency on a specified date. Voting in elections is voluntary. On average about 75 per cent of the electorate votes. People who are not allowed to vote include:

- peers, and peeresses in their own right, who are members of the House of Lords

- foreign nationals ;

- people kept in mental hospital;

- people serving prison sentences;

- people convicted within the previous five years of corrupt or illegal election

practices.

Anybody over 21 can stand for election, providing they are not disqualified. Those disqualified include:

- people who are bankrupt

- people sentenced to more than one year's imprisonment

- clergy of the Church of England, Church of Scotland, Church of Ireland and the Roman Catholic Church

- members of the House of Lords; and

- a range of public servants and officials, specified by law. They include judges, civil servants, some local government officers, full-time members of the armed forces and police officers.

Candidates do not have to live in the constituencies for which they stand. Most candidates in elections and almost all winning candidates belong to one of the main political parties. Candidates who are members of smaller political parties or groups, or who do not belong to any party, may also stand. Since the Second World War the great majority of MPs have belonged to either the Conservativeor the Labour party. There is also an influential centre party called the Liberal Democrats, and another much smaller centre party known as the Social Democratic Party (SDP). There are also nationalist parties from Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.

Polling Day

Polling for parliamentary elections takes place on Thursdays. The hours of voting are 7.00 to 22.00, no break is allowed. Each voter goes to a polling station in his/her constituency. Voters have their names checked against the election register before they are given ballot papers. The paper lists the names of candidates in alphabetical order, with a brief description of the candidates or their political parties. Voting takes place in booths, which are screened to maintain secrecy. Voters mark their ballot papers with a cross in the box opposite the name of the candidate of their choice and then fold the paper to conceal the vote, before placing it in the ballot box. Voters who spoil their ballot papers by mistake can vote using a fresh ballot paper once the first ballot paper is cancelled

After the end of polling the ballot boxes are sealed to prevent further votes from being added. The votes must be counted as soon as possible after the end of polling. The candidates and their agents have the 'right to be present. The number of papers in the box is counted and checked against the ballot paper account. After this, papers are sorted according to the candidates for whom they are marked.
Doubtful papers are put aside and the returning officer decides whether they are valid. If the result is close, candidates or their agents may seek a recount; the decision is made by the returning officer. If the number of votes 'is equal, the winner is decided by drawing lots

Let us imagine that the result was as follows:

Adams Con 25,000

Johnson SDP 7,000

Maxwell Lab 19,000

Thomas LibDem . 11,000

The winner is Adams, even though the total of the votes for the other candidates was greater. Adams, then, will represent the constituency in the House of Commons. If this type of result is repeated in other constituencies, the make-up of the House of Commons will not necessarily accurately reflect the way that people voted across the country. This voting system is commonly called the first-past-the-post system. It favours a two-party system, particularly when tie parties' support is concentrated geographically, as is the case with the Conservative and Labour parties. It doesn't favour parties whose support is spread across constituencies, such as the Liberal Democrats, as they tend to accumulate relatively small numbers of votes in each constituency and consequently do not win many seats.

Exercises

1. Describe how the frist-past-the-post system works.

2. Speak about the polling day.

3. What is a one-member constituency?

4. What is the difference between the House of Lords and the House of Commons as regards the elections?

5. What are the main political parties in Britain?

DEBATES II.

Do you consider it to be a sound practice that:

- the voting age in Britain is 18;

- voting in elections is voluntary;

- members of the House of Lords are not allowed to vote or stand for

election;