Англо-русский глоссарий
по теме «Выборы» с транскрипцией
(English-Russian Glossary
of Election Terms with Transcription)

Elections in the United Kingdom

For electoral purposes the United Kingdom is divided into 659 constituencies, each of which returns one member to the House of Commons. Constituencies vary in size and area; the average electorate is around 68,000. There are four permanent Parliamentary Boundary Commissions one each for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland - that review constituency size to ensure that constituencies have broadly similar numbers of electors. British citizens, and citizens of other Commonwealth countries and the Republic of Ireland resident in the United Kingdom, may vote in parliamentary elections provided that they are aged 18 or over; included in the register of electors for the constituency; and not subject to any legal incapacity to vote. British citizens living abroad may apply to register as electors for a period of up to 15 years after they have left the United Kingdom.

Voting is not compulsory in the United Kingdom and the simple majority system is used for Westminster elections; proportional representation is used in the elections to the Scottish Parliament, National Assembly for Wales and the Northern Ireland Assembly. Each elector may cast one vote and usually does so in person at a polling station. Candidates are elected if they have more votes than any of the other candidates (although not necessarily an absolute majority over all other candidates). As in other European Union countries, participation in voting at General Elections has declined, and the turnout in the 2001 General Election was 59 per cent, the lowest since the First World War. The Government has taken a number of measures designed to increase the number of people who vote in elections, including the introduction of postal voting on demand and a rolling electoral register, updated monthly, to enable voters to register at any time of the year. New voting procedures are being tested at local elections.

British citizens, and resident citizens of other Commonwealth countries and the Republic of Ireland, may be elected as Members of Parliament (MPs) provided that they are aged 21 or over and are not disqualified. Each candidate's nomination must be proposed and seconded by two electors registered in the constituency and signed by eight others. Candidates do not have to be backed by a political party.

The new Federal Law contains detailed provisions regulating organization of voting, determination of voting returns and election results.

The Law establishes special rules for the printing of ballots and absentee certificates as documents of strict accountability (Articles 71 and 72), placing a special emphasis on openness and publicity of this process.

In accordance with Clause 10 Article 71 of the Federal Law the printing establishment which produced ballots, discards the rejects and delivers ballots to the duly authorized members of the election commission which placed an order for their production. The delivery must be formalized in a transfer record indicating the date and time when the record was drawn up and the number of delivered ballots. Immediately after delivery of the ordered quantity of ballots the staff of the printing establishment must destroy the rejected and surplus ballots and draw up a certificate to this effect to be signed by all persons present thereat. These actions may be witnessed by other members of the election commission, registered candidates, authorized representatives of electoral associations, electoral blocs, their agents, if they wish to do so. The election commission must notify them about the time and place for the delivery of ballots and the printing establishment must make it possible for these persons to be present.

Observers whom you send to concrete electoral precincts may be present when a precinct election commission counts votes and draws up a protocol of voting returns. In pursuance of Clause 27 Article 77 of the new Federal Law, immediately after the protocols of voting returns have been signed, a precinct election commission must issue certified copies of the protocols to your observers.

The new Federal Law introduces the institution of "public control" in which an important role is played by non-voting members of election commissions and by observers. It is these persons who exercise control over voting on voting day and when votes are being counted at polling stations. This is a major guarantee that the election results will be determined in accordance with the requirements of the Federal Law and voting returns will not be rigged by members of election commissions, other participants in the electoral process.