In the sentences below substitute the italicized elements with the words and word
combinations from column A in the table above.
1. In England, the Parliament agreed to elections with undisclosed votes only in the late 19th century. 2. In addition to local plebiscites, like those of the head of a town etc, there are different elections to regional, national and or European parliaments in Britain. 3. Some elections may have permanent dates, while others must be held within a certain period after the last election. 4. The United Kingdom applies a simple majority (another name for it is "furthest past the post") system to elect members of Parliament, which means that in order to win, the candidate is only needed to get the largest number of votes to his or her advantage.
Work in pairs. Discuss the following questions. What regular UK elections can you think of? How often are the general elections held in the United Kingdom? Are there fixed dates for the general elections? What system is used to determine the winner in the UK elections?
In England, elections
(1) as a parliamentary
process since the 13th century. The secret ballot
(2) in 1872 and full equal voting rights for women in 1928. At present, the United Kingdom
(3) five distinct types of elections:
UK general elections, elections to national or regional parliaments and assemblies, elections to the European Parliament, local elections and mayoral elections.
Elections (4) traditionally on Thursdays.
General elections (5) fixed dates, but (6)
within five years of the opening of Parliament
For questions 1-10 read through the following text and then choose from the list A-J the best phrase given below to fill each of the spaces.
(7) the
election. Unlike many European nations, the United Kingdom
(8) a first-past-the-post system to elect members of Parliament. There is, however,
no "post" that the winning candidate (9) in order to win, as they (10)
only to receive the largest number of votes in their favour. This sometimes results in the alternative name "furthest past the post".
has B. following
do not have D. have been used
are required F. uses
must be called H. are held
was adopted J. must pass
Complete the following sentences with the correct form of the verbs in brackets. There is an example at the beginning (0).
Anyone who wants (want) to become an MP must be elected by the people of a constituency.
After the date (fix), anyone who (want) to stand for Parliament has to
leave a deposit with the Returning Officer for the constituency.
A few people (become) candidates for a joke, especially in the constituency which
the Prime Minister^ (defend), because they know that they (get) a lot of
publicity.
Before an election (take place) candidates (campaign) for support in the
constituency.
The purposes of election expenses and the amount of money that candidates (allow)
to spend on their campaign is strictly limited.
All broadcasts, newspapers and other advertisements must support the interests of the party
generally, otherwise they (count) against the election expenses of a particular
candidate.
Lists of electors are publicly displayed to enable voters to ensure that their names (include).
Provision is also made for people who (attain) the age of 18 during the life of the register.
When the votes (count), the party with the highest number of MPs (win)
and they (ask officially) by the Queen to form the next government.
If the number of votes for two candidates is very close, the candidates may
(demand) a recount.
If an MP (die) or (resign), a by-election is held in the constituency which
he or she (represent).
Listen to the text on eligibility to vote in Great Britain and fill in the gaps in the sentences. You will hear the text twice. Use the Vocabulary Section if you need it.
Commonwealth country, who is legally (2) in the UK, and who is 18 or
over on the date of the election is (3) to vote, provided they are on the
(4) register, unless they are currently a member of the
of Lords, imprisoned for a (6) offence, (7)
incapable of making a reasoned judgment, an undischarged bankrupt, or have
been convicted of (8) or illegal practices in connection with an
(9) within the previous five years. (10) is not
compulsory. In theory, members of the (11) Family, who do not
hold a peerage, including the (12), are eligible to (13),
although in practice it would be seen as (14) if they ever did. UK
citizens who have moved abroad remain (15) to vote for 15 years
thereafter. To stand for Parliament a person must be a (16) subject
aged 21 or over, not otherwise disqualified (as for example, (17) of the House of
(18), certain clergy, undischarged bankrupts, (19) servants, holders of
judicial (20), members of the regular armed services and the police forces).
Read the text on general elections in Great Britain. Then fill in the table below using the information in this and the previous exercises. Use the Vocabulary Section if you need it.