A parliamentary system is one in which citizens vote for Members of Parliament to represent their interests and concerns at the House of Commons in Westminster. Electors can choose between candidates standing in their own constituency or for a list of candidates put forward by a political party. There are many different electoral systems worldwide.
The political party that wins the most seats at a general election forms the government and its leader becomes Prime Minister. The Prime Minister chooses who takes other senior positions in the cabinet, such as Chancellor of the Exchequer, Home Secretary and Foreign Secretary. Some ceremonial executive duties are carried out by a hereditary king or queen in a constitutional monarchy, or by a democratically elected president or chancellor in a democratic constitutional republic.
Debate in the House is structured and controlled by mechanisms such as time allocation and closure. A motion initiates the process by outlining a proposal and subject for debate. Motions can be either debatable or non-debatable, and are normally subject to amendment before a decision is made.
A day reserved for the business of supply, where the topic of debate is chosen by a member of the opposition. There are 22 days allotted in each calendar year, which are divided amongst the opposition parties in proportion to their representation in the House.