UK election system bodes complex outcome

UK elections used to be simple. On the whole people would vote for one of the two main parties, and newspapers would grandly state which one they were backing.

The papers still do that – but the rise of what were once fringe parties and the decline of the big guns means neither is expected to win an overall majority.

The path to forming a government is set to become difficult, according to one analyst.

“The Labour party has a clearer path to government (than the Conservatives) because there are more parties opposed to backing the Conservative party than there are (parties opposed to backing) the Labour party. However, because we think the Conservative party will come out with the most votes (Ed: seats), we think that the Liberal Democrats will go and talk to them first. And they (the Liberal Democrats) admitted as much a couple of weeks ago,” said Danielle Haralambous, political analyst with the Economist Intelligence Unit.

At stake, beyond this election, is Britain’s members