Unit III. Electoral system

Text 1: “General Election (UK)”

Task 1: read and translate the text

In Britain the election of all Members of Parliament (MPs) for each constituency (local area) is called a General Election.

In the UK they vote for the best candidate in a local area to represent people in the House of Commons. The winning candidate becomes an MP and takes a seat in the House of Commons.

The British government is elected for up to five years. The Prime Minister chooses the date of the next General Election, but does not have to wait until the end of the five-year term. A time is chosen which will give as much advantage as possible to the political party in power.

About a month before the election the Prime Minister meets a small group of close advisers to discuss the date which would best suit the party.

The date is announced to the Cabinet. The Prime Minister formally asks the Sovereign to dissolve Parliament.

Once parliament is dissolved, all MPs are unemployed, but government officers continue to function.

Party manifestos are published and campaigning begins throughout the country. It lasts for about three weeks with large-scale press, radio and television coverage.

The place where people go to vote in an election is called a polling station and the day of the election is known as Polling day. Voting usually takes place on Polling day on Thursday.

Each British citizen over eighteen has the right to vote (except prisoners, Lords and mentally ill).

There are three different ways you can vote in the UK, in person at a polling station, by post or by proxy.

The results from each constituency are announced the same night. The national result is known by the next morning.

The party with the majority of seats in the Commons gets to form the government. That party’s leader becomes Prime Minister.

As soon as it is clear that one party has a majority of seats in the House of Commons, its leader is formally invited by the Sovereign to form a government.