A by-election is an election that is called when a seat has been vacated within a constituency but there is no General Election looming. In the United States these elections are called special elections. There are three circumstances in which a by-election will be held:
Continue readingSome countries, like Sweden, rely very heavily on public funding of political parties within their democratic system. In Sweden, political parties rely on the state for up to 90% of their national funding.
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Gordon Brown became Prime Minister in June 2007. He did not face a leadership contested from within the Labour Party (his only potential opponent, John McDonnell, only received 8.2% of nominations) and Brown was always seen as Tony Blair’s designated successor.
Gordon Brown was an unlucky Prime Minister. He was unlucky in two senses:
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General Elections in the UK are strictly regulated. For example, there are restrictions on spending, with each campaign able to spend a limited amount depending on the number of candidates they are putting forward. These rules and regulations are set out in the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (PPERA) and are monitored and enforced by the Electoral Commission, an independent body that exists to ensure elections are transparent and fair.
It is Party Conference season and the first major party to hold their conference have been the Liberal Democrats. The other main party conferences are:
