The House of Commons has backed Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s decision to hold a snap election in the UK on the 12 of December, two weeks before Christmas this year.
This will be the third time the UK is holding an election in four years. The elections leave the option of remaining in the EU or not in the hands of British voters.
How the British Elections Work
Usually, British elections hold once every four years. Britons do not elect their PM directly. The 650 constituencies in the UK will elect an MP on a first-past-the-post basis. The person who wins the most votes in each area gets elected for that parliamentary seat. The leader of the majority party or the coalition will then become the prime minister.
Currently, the conservatives hold the majority in parliament and Boris is certain the votes will sway in his favour noting he has no fear over holding fresh elections.
In his address to parliament, while seeking their backing, he said: “There’s only one way to get Brexit done in the face of this unrelenting parliamentary obstructionism… that is to refresh this parliament and give the people the choice.”
What Happens to Parliament?
By UK laws, parliament gets dissolved 25 working days before a general election. A formal session, called a ‘prorogation,’ takes place a few days to this dissolution. After parliament is dissolved, every seat in the House of Commons becomes vacant and all activity comes to an end. Members of Parliament can come into Parliament for a few days after dissolution to clear their offices while those who wish to be MPs again must stand as candidates for election.
Election Timetable
Activities leading to the elections are as follows:
- Wednesday 6 November – The dissolution of Parliament.
- Thursday 14 November – The deadline for the delivery of nomination papers for candidates who want to stand as MPs or who want to withdraw their nominations.
- Tuesday 26 November – Voter registration deadline.
- Tuesday 26 November – Deadline for postal vote applications.
- Wednesday 4 December – Deadline for proxy vote applications.
- Thursday 12 December – Polling day. Polling booths are open between 7 am and 10 pm.
On the day of the UK election, it appears voters will have to vote in the dark because on December 12, London will have less than eight hours of daylight, with sunrise just before 8 am and sunset at a few minutes before 4 pm, while Scotland and Edinburgh will have only seven hours of sunlight.
