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UK elections can be brutal affairs

Published:Thursday | April 30, 2015 | 9:10 AM
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In this May 2010 file photo of Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron, left, as he talks to Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, right, outside 10 Downing Street in central London.
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Britain's United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) leader Nigel Farage, center right, is mobbed by media and supporters during a general election campaign visit to Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, England, yesterday.
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Britain's Labour Party leader Ed Miliband speaks at an election question and answer session with the public at Dewsbury Town Hall, Dewsbury England, yesterday.
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LONDON (AP):

United Kingdom elections can be brutal affairs. The polls close at 10 p.m. local time. Within hours the movers can be parked outside Number 10 Downing Street waiting to

ferry away the losing prime minister's belongings. There's no US-style 10-week transition here.

Since World War II, elections have led to eight changes in power, mostly conducted in an orderly fashion. In his landslide victory in 1997, Tony Blair gave his maiden speech as premier in front of the famous black door by lunchtime the day after the election.

But May 7's general election looks like it's going to be the most uncertain in the post-war period, and the process of forming the next government could take days, if not weeks.

The traditional two-party system that's dominated British politics since 1945 is fraying like never done before with the Scottish National Party, for one, widely tipped to make big gains in the north.

Others, like the Green Party and the UK Independence Party, are looking to make a dent, too, while the Liberal Democrats are hoping to remain a sizeable presence in Parliament despite widespread anger at the decision to link up with the Conservatives after the 2010 election. And, there are Welsh nationalists and an array

of Northern Ireland parties to account for, too.

With neither the Conservatives nor Labour predicted to win a majority of the 650 seats to the House of Commons, another coalition government, possibly involving three or more parties, is a possible outcome.