On July 4, the United Kingdom held a snap general election, with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Conservative Party expected to lose after 14 years of rule. Vote counting is currently underway to determine the winners of the 650 seats in the House of Commons, with results expected to be declared by the early hours of July 5.
In the previous 2019 election, Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party secured a majority by gaining seats from the Labour Party, winning 365 seats. The Labour Party had 203 seats, the SNP had 48 seats, and the Liberal Democrats had 11 seats. The Greens maintained their only seat in parliament.
The main parties in the current election include the Conservatives led by Rishi Sunak, Labour led by Keir Starmer, Liberal Democrats led by Ed Davey, Greens led by Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay, Reform UK led by Nigel Farage, SNP led by John Swinney, Plaid Cymru led by Rhun ap Iorwerth, and DUP led by Gavin Robinson.
Voting in the UK is carried out in 650 constituencies through a first-past-the-post system where candidates need to receive more votes than their competitors to win a seat in the House of Commons. A party needs to secure at least 326 seats to form a majority government. If no party wins a majority, a hung parliament may occur.
Before the election, the UK’s parliament was represented by 13 parties and 17 independents, with the Conservatives holding 344 seats, Labour 205, SNP 43, and the Liberal Democrats 15. The remaining seats were held by other parties and independents. The results of the July 4 election will shape the future of the UK’s political landscape.
Source
Photo credit www.aljazeera.com