Independent Study Comparative Examination Of Electoral Systems

Comparative Examination of Electoral Systems Student NameCourseDateInstructorComparative Examination of Electoral Systems Basics of Party Politics in Great BritainA general election in Britain provides the public with a chance to choose a new government. Britain is a constitutional monarchy meaning the public cannot vote for a head of state like a president in US, instead opting to vote for their MPs, who represent their constituencies for five years. A new Prime Minister can direct most MPs in the House of Commons from where Queen Elizabeth, serving as the unelected head of state and guided by constitutional conventions, swears him into office (Jefferson & Hutton, 2010). This British system places most emphasis on the number of MPs as compared to most systems that prioritize the number of voters. Preparing for an election involves dissolving the parliament, which sets up 650 parliamentary seats for grabs. Most of these seats (533) are in England while Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland have 59, 40, and 18 respectively (Naughton & Watson, 2010). It is a requirement that a party needs slightly bigger than a third of the popular