A parliamentary vote is the procedure by which a legislative body votes on legislation. This system of voting is used in a number of countries across the world that have a parliamentary model for their government structure.
Parliamentary systems often combine the functions of the executive and legislative branch in one person, known as a Prime Minister. This individual, who leads the Cabinet, has a powerful veto over legislation that is passed by the legislature. Many parliamentary systems also have a specialized constitutional court with the ability to review laws and declare them unconstitutional.
During an election, each voter marks a cross on their ballot paper to choose their preferred candidate in each electoral district, called a constituency. The candidate with the most votes in a constituency is elected as an MP. Elections are usually held every five years. When an MP dies or retires, a by-election is held to replace them.
Most parliamentary systems use first-past-the-post voting to elect Members of Parliament. However, some — including the United Kingdom and Australia — use Single Transferable Vote (STV) to elect their members. This system counts a voter’s first preference and then transfers any second preferences to other candidates until the quota is reached.
Some parliamentary systems require a supermajority vote for dissolving the parliament or for passing certain types of legislation. While this has been successful in breaking deadlocks in the past, it can be circumvented through the enactment of an Act bypassing these requirements.