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Difficulty: HardParliamentary Democracy

In the UK's parliamentary democracy, which of the following best describes the constitutional procedure for the appointment of a new Prime Minister and the formation of a government following a General Election?

  1. A
    The House of Lords must hold a formal confirmation vote to approve the leader of the largest party before the Monarch can grant them the power to form a government.
  2. The Monarch invites the leader of the political party that is best able to command the confidence of the House of Commons to form a government.Answer
  3. C
    The electorate participates in a separate national leadership ballot held shortly after the General Election to choose the Prime Minister from the newly elected MPs.
  4. D
    The Monarch exercises absolute discretion to select any member of the Privy Council to serve as Prime Minister, regardless of the number of seats held by their party.

Answer

The Monarch invites the leader of the political party that can command the confidence of the House of Commons to form a government.
The correct answer accurately reflects the UK's constitutional convention where the Monarch, as Head of State, invites the leader of the party that has won the most seats (or can form a coalition) to become Prime Minister. This person must be able to 'command the confidence' of the House of Commons to effectively govern.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the outcome of the General Election.
The number of seats won by each political party in the House of Commons is determined.
The government must be formed from the elected chamber of Parliament.
2
Determine which leader can 'command the confidence' of the House.
Usually, this is the leader of the party with an overall majority of seats.
The government must be able to pass legislation and survive votes of no confidence in the House of Commons.
3
Identify the role of the Monarch in the appointment process.
The Monarch invites that leader to form a government in his or her name.
The UK is a constitutional monarchy where the Monarch remains the Head of State but acts on established constitutional conventions.

Key Concept

The formation of the executive branch within a parliamentary democracy requires that the government is drawn from and accountable to the elected legislature.

Practice More

Review the concept of a 'Hung Parliament' and how a government is formed when no single party has a majority.
Estimated Time:2m 0s
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Topics

Parliamentary Democracy

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