3. Major elections
|
POLITICAL POWER 3. Major elections |
Political parties
| The UK general election | The US presidential election | |
| Holding the election | - Since 2011, general elections (legislative election, to elect members of Parliament -MPs) are held on a fixed-term basis every five years (=> PM 5-year term) except if there is a snap election as in 2017. - - As a courtesy the PM asks the monarch to dissolve Parliament. |
- Presidential elections are held on a fixed-term basis every four years (=> presidential 4-year term). - Each electoral year is precisely organized from party nomination, in the primaries (Jan-June) and convention, to presidential election (November) and inauguration the following January |
| Only one polling or election day : only one round without a “run-off” or 2nd election. | ||
| Winning the election | - A direct election : The PM is the leader of the political party that wins a simple plurality (the most seats) in the House of Commons. - In 2015, the Conservative party won the GE and its leader David Cameron remained PM for a second term. With a simple majority in the Commons he didn’t have to form a coalition to govern. |
- An indirect election : The president is the candidate elected (electoral vote) by a simple majority of the 538 electors of the electoral college previously elected by US voters (popular vote) state by state with a simple plurality. - In 2016 Republican Donald Trump won with 306 electors, even if he lost the popular vote with 47% to Democrat Hillary Clinton’s 48% |
| Electoral system | When the electoral system is a plurality -and not a majority, system : the winner is the candidate who receives the most votes, even by 1. There is only one round without a “run-off” or second election later. |
|
| If a UK candidate receives the most votes, he is elected member of Parliament (MP) |
If a US candidate gets a plurality in a state, he wins all the electors of this state. => popular vote = plurality system BUT electoral vote = majority |
|