In the UK, parliamentary general elections must be called within how many years?

According to the Fixed Term Parliaments Act (2011), general elections have to be called every five years. After five years, Parliament is automatically dissolved and a new one must be elected. If needed, the government can call for an earlier 'snap election' as long as at least two-thirds of Members of Parliament (MPs) agree.

A general election requires 650 constituencies to elect one MP to represent the area in the House of Commons in London. Only people over the age of 18 are allowed to vote, and all voting must take place on a set day at a local polling station. Voters are given a ballot paper listing the candidates from their constituency. After marking their chosen candidate, ballot forms are placed in a secure box so that no one can tamper with the results.

The candidate from each constituency who receives the most votes becomes the MP for that area. They also win a seat in the House of Commons. As well as representing their constituency, each MP represents a political party. After all the votes are counted, the party with more than half the seats wins the overall majority and their party leader becomes the Prime Minister.

If there is no clear winner, this results in a 'hung parliament'. On these occasions, the two parties with the most MPs may choose to form a coalition government and rule together. Alternatively, the party with the most seats can decide to rule as a minority government and ask other parties to give their support for various decisions.