The UK
Each of the 659 MPs in the House of Commons represents a particular part
of the UK called a constituency. Anyone who wants to become an MP must be
elected by the people of a constituency. Before an election one person is
chosen by each of the main political parties to stand for election in each
constituency. Only the candidate who gets the most votes is elected. The
system is called first past the post.
In a general election, when elections are held in all constituencies, the
winning party, is the one that wins most seats in Parliament.
By law, a general election must take place every five years. General
elections are always held on Thursdays. Anyone who wants to stand for
Parliament has to leave a deposit of £500 with the Returning Officer. This
is intended to stop people who do not seriously want to be MPs from taking
part in the election.
Before an election takes place candidates campaign for support in the
constituency. The amount of money to spend is strictly limited. They cannot
buy television time.
If an MP dies or resigns, a by-election is held in the constituency which
he or she represented.
Anyone over the age of 18 has the right to vote at elections. Voting is
not compulsory but the turnout (= the number of people voting) at general
elections is usually high.
About a week in advance of an election everyone on the electoral register
receives a polling card and the whole elections process begins.
The counting takes place in the same evening after elections, continuing
for as long as necessary through the night. If the number of votes for two
candidates is very close, the candidates may demand a recount.
The British political system relies on having at least two parties in the
House of Commons able to form a government. There are mainly three parties:
the Conservative Party, the Labour Party and the Liberal Democratic Party,
the most important one.
The Conservative Party is on the political right and the Labour Party on
the left. The Liberal Democrats are generally closer to Labour in their
opinions.
The support for each party is slightly different. The Conservative Party
usually gets support from the rich people, while the Labour Party drew its
support from the working classes and from people wanting social reforms.
The main parties hold regular meetings at which party policy is
discussed.
The USA
The USA has two main political parties, the Democratic Party and the
Republican Party.
Party organizations are less important in the USA than in countries like
Britain or Lithuania which have a parliament.