The voting system by which parliamentary bodies elect their members, usually on the basis of proportional representation. It is often complemented by electoral thresholds that ensure that parties failing to win a certain percentage of the vote do not have any seats at all.
Normally, the Presiding Officer asks those wishing to vote for the motion to move to one side of their chair and those against to the other. The names of those voting are then recorded and the result announced. In some instances, the Presiding Officer may decide that a particular motion is not for or against and so does not require a division.
A deciding vote awarded to the Speaker of the House (or, in committee, the chair) in the event of a tie. The Speaker or chair votes only to avoid a deadlock and traditionally votes to maintain the status quo.
The term used to describe the system of government in most countries that use a parliamentary form of democracy. Under this system, a majority of the elected members of parliament selects the prime minister and departmental ministers from among their own party membership. The prime minister is the leader of the largest political party or, in some cases, a member of a coalition. In many parliamentary systems, the people collectively have a check on the legislative and executive components of this arrangement through elections and judicial review. However, these systems vary significantly in their organization and procedures.
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