A parliamentary vote is when MPs indicate whether they agree or disagree with something that has been debated in Parliament. The person chairing the debate invites members to say ‘aye’ or ‘no’ and then declares which side has the majority of voices. However, if the shouts of ‘ayes’ and ‘noes’ are closely matched and it is not clear which group has more people in favour of a motion, the Speaker will call for a formal division and MPs will divide into groups to take part in a count. If the result of a vote is not challenged, the results are published in the Journals and Debates of the House.
The UK has a Westminster system of government and most MPs are elected using first past the post voting. When you vote, you will see a list of candidates and their political parties on your ballot paper – these are the candidates to choose from. The candidate with the most votes in your constituency becomes your Member of Parliament (MP). Each constituency has 650 MPs. MPs usually belong to a political party but can be independents. If a party does not get enough votes to govern alone, it can enter into agreements with other parties (known as confidence and supply agreements) to pass laws.
Some countries have a different model of government and use a parliament called the Riksdag. This is a system where the roles of the legislative and executive branches are blurred or merged, with the Prime Minister leading the government.