A parliamentary vote is a system of representative government used in many countries around the world. It’s different from the presidential system used in the United States and some other countries. Parliamentary democracy focuses on the legislative branch of government, with executive and judicial branches being separate. The earliest parliaments date back to Europe in the Middle Ages.
Parliamentary systems tend to be bicameral, with two parliamentary chambers (or houses). In the United Kingdom the House of Commons and the House of Lords make up the parliamentary system known as the Westminster model.
At an election people who want to become Members of Parliament (MPs) vote for a political party and candidates that the party has selected. The MPs are then elected for each constituency based on the number of votes that they receive.
When an MP dies or resigns the constituency is vacant until a new Member of Parliament is elected from the party list, or a by-election is held to fill the vacancy. In the UK there are 650 electoral districts, or constituencies, that are represented by an MP. The MPs are elected for the length of a parliament, which is five years.
Parliamentary systems have few checks on the legislature, with only the head of state (the Monarch in Great Britain and Norway, or a president or chancellor in Germany) having de jure power to withhold approval of an Act passed by parliament. However, this check has rarely been exercised, and the UK and New Zealand have weak or non-existent judicial review.
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