| General elections are held at least every five years although not all Parliaments run for the whole five year period.
MPs are elected from a choice of candidates by a simple majority system in which each person casts one vote. The candidate with the most votes then becomes the MP for that constituency.
Candidates may be from a political party registered with the Electoral Commission (an independent body, accountable directly to the UK Parliament, that regulates elections in the UK, promotes voter awareness and works to build confidence in the electoral process) or they may stand as an “Independent” rather than represent a registered party.
Any eligible person can become a candidate in a British general election whether they are a member of a political party or not. Although any eligible person can stand, in order to have a realistic chance of success a candidate needs to represent one of the 3 main British political parties or a nationalist or unionist party in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.
The elections are preceded by election campaigning which lasts for about 3 weeks with large-scale press, radio and TV coverage.
Most voting takes place in polling stations (usually on a Thursday). Each person over 18 has the right to vote, except prisoners, lords and the mentally ill. Anyone eligible to vote can apply for a postal vote. British citizens living abroad are also entitled to a postal vote as long as they have been living abroad for less than 15 years.
Candidates eligibility: people wishing to stand as an MP must be over 18 years of age, and a British citizen, or citizen of a Commonwealth country or the Republic of Ireland.
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