Description of Electoral System:

(courtesy of IFES election guide)

The monarchy is hereditary. In the the House of Lords, 526 members are appointed by the monarch and 92 members are inherited. In the the House of Commons 659 members are elected by popular vote to serve 5-year terms.

Electoral Systems Snapshot

(Courtesy of International IDEA)

*Click on links for definitions

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Most recent election

(courtesy of wikipedia)

The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, with a reduced overall majority of 66 Members of Parliament (MPs). In 2007, Blair was succeeded as Prime Minster by Gordon Brown.¹

The general election took place in 646 constituencies across the United Kingdom, for seats in the House of Commons. All but one constituency polled on 5 May; the South Staffordshire vote was postponed and took place on 23 June due to the death of a candidate.

The election was held under the first-past-the-post system. Local elections in parts of England and in Northern Ireland were held on the same day. The polls were open for 15 hours, from 07:00 to 22:00 BST. The election came just over three weeks after the dissolution of Parliament on 11 April by Queen Elizabeth II, at the request of former Prime Minister, Tony Blair.

¹Gordon Brown, Blair's Chancellor of the Exchequer during his entire ten years in office, was appointed as Leader of the Labour Party on 24 June 2007 and as Prime Minister on 27 June 2007.