Changes

==Organization==

==Organization==

The [[Member of Parliament|Members of Parliament]] (MPs) usually represent a political party.  Each party is formed by people with broadly similar political views.  In most cases, [[MP|MPs]] are elected by the population according to one of a number of electoral systems.  Some parliaments use a "first-past-the-post" system where each [[MP]] represents a constituency and is the candidate who received the most votes from residents of the constituency.  Other parliaments use a proportional representation system, where the number of [[MP|MPs]] from each political party is proportional to the total votes for that party across the whole electorate.  There are many other varieties of voting systems, most of which are variations on these two themes.  In rare cases (for example the British House of Lords), the members are not elected by the population but are appointed in some other way.

The [[Member of Parliament|Members of Parliament]] (MPs) usually represent a political party.  Each party is formed by people with broadly similar political views.  In most cases, [[MP|MPs]] are elected by the population according to one of a number of electoral systems.  Some parliaments use a "first-past-the-post" system where each [[MP]] represents a constituency and is the candidate who received the most votes from residents of the constituency.  Other parliaments use a proportional representation system, where the number of [[MP|MPs]] from each political party is proportional to the total votes for that party across the whole electorate.  There are many other varieties of electoral systems, most of which are variations on these two themes.  In rare cases (for example the British House of Lords), the members are not elected by the population but are appointed in some other way.

Many parliaments are made up of two different houses - for example Australia's House of Representatives and Senate.  The voting systems of the two houses are usually different meaning the mix of MPs from the various parties will also generally differ.

Many parliaments are made up of two different houses - for example Australia's House of Representatives and Senate.  The electoral systems of the two houses are usually different meaning the mix of MPs from the various parties will also generally differ.

Usually in a parliamentary system, the government is formed by [[MP|MPs]] from the party which has the majority of members.  The leader of that party is the head of government, often called the [[Prime Minister]].  As the government party has a majority of members, it can usually expect to win any votes in the parliament.  In the situation where no one party has a majority, there are two possibilities. A minority goverment with members of one party only, which must rely on the support from members of other parties to win votes. The other possibility is a formal arrangement between two or more parties to form a coalition government with a majority of votes, where the government members are from all coalition partners.

Usually in a parliamentary system, the government is formed by [[MP|MPs]] from the party which has the majority of members.  The leader of that party is the head of government, often called the [[Prime Minister]].  As the government party has a majority of members, it can usually expect to win any votes in the parliament.  In the situation where no one party has a majority, there are two possibilities. A minority goverment with members of one party only, which must rely on the support from members of other parties to win votes. The other possibility is a formal arrangement between two or more parties to form a coalition government with a majority of votes, where the government members are from all coalition partners.