The UK election: your reactions
| 10:15 UK time, Friday, 7 May 2010
The results of the are still coming in as I write, and although the Conservative Party is in the lead, so far there is no clear picture of who will form the next British government.
The Conservatives have won 305 seats, followed by Labour on 258 with the Liberal Democrats coming in third with 57 (I'll update these figures as more results come in). In order to gain a majority in parliament the Conservatives needed to win over half - that is 326 seats.
This means Britain will have a - where no single political party wins an outright majority.
A hung parliament could result in a government (where the parties strike deals on a vote by vote basis), a coalition (where parties forge a formal alliance) or even a second election. Although many countries have multi-party governments, in Britain this is perceived as unstable and .
The election has also been criticised because some people were turned away and not allowed to vote. Does this affect the British system's credibility? See Krupa's post here.
gives his reaction to the election:
"...as much as people complain about U.S. elections, be glad we don't run ours on the British model. Long lines and many people unable to vote by the 10pm closing time. Lots of splinter parties and silly candidates... dilute the ability of one side or the other to gain a clear majority (this should be a warning to anyone who thinks a third party is a good idea)."
Post your reactions here:
