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General Elections
Woodlands Junior School is in the south-east corner of England
A UK Parliament has a maximum duration of five years. At the end of the five year or before, a general election must take place so new members of parliament can be elected by the people. The next General Election in the UK will take place before the end of June 2010 What is a General Election? The election of all Members of Parliament (MPs) for each constituency (local area) is called a General Election. In the UK we vote for the best candidate in our local area to represent us in the House of Commons. The UK system is not like the US system where you vote for the President/Vice-President, then your local representatives separately.  In the UK, the winning candidate becomes MP and takes a seat in the House of Commons.  The party with the majority of seats in the Commons gets to form the government.  That party’s leader becomes Prime Minister. In the UK we have the House of Commons and the House of Lords. We can only vote for a MP to represent us in the House of Commons. The Lords are appointed or inherited. How often do General Elections take place? General elections have to take place at least every five years and are called by the Prime Minister (the leader of the Government). When was the last General Election? The last General Election was in 2005, when Labour won 356 seats and became the leading party and therefore the Government. Who can become a MP? People are nominated as candidates to become MPs. Any one over the age of 21 can be a candidate. How does an MP get a seat in Parliament? When an MP gets the most votes for his constituency (local area) he gains a seat. This means he has a place in Parliament. Did you know? In the US, there are general elections every four years for the presidency and every two years for governor, senate and congressional seats. Those in-between general elections where the presidency is not determined are called mid-term elections. And the date chosen is always the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. However, there may be local elections that are called as needed by local councils. How Britain is Governed | Parliament House of Parliament | Elections | Government Prime Minister | House of Commons Making and Passing Laws
Learn about England and the other countries in Britain from the children who live in ther

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