A parliamentary vote is the way in which a motion is put to the assembly for consideration. Parliamentary votes are usually recorded by ballot. A majority is required for the passage of a motion. In a parliamentary system of government, the head of government derives democratic legitimacy from the support (the “confidence”) of a majority of the legislature. The legislature is accountable to the public and can remove the head of government through a vote of no confidence. The parliamentary system is the predominant form of government in Europe, Oceania and in countries that were once ruled by Britain.
Parliamentary systems typically use a plurality electoral system and can be either unicameral or bicameral. Most of these systems elect members of parliament using a first past the post method and some countries use a variant of the proportional representation system known as single transferable vote.
The British Parliament for example is divided into 650 areas, called constituencies, each with one Member of Parliament (MP). Voters choose the candidate they wish to represent them. Candidates that do not meet a certain quota are eliminated. The surplus votes are transferred to second preference candidates until a winner is found for each constituency. If an MP resigns, retires or dies a by-election is held to find a replacement.
In most parliamentary systems the leader of the majority party or coalition selects the prime minister and other department heads. The Monarch of the United Kingdom and the President or Governor General of Canada have de jure powers to withhold royal assent on bills passed by Parliament but such a power has rarely been exercised. The head of state can also disapprove of laws that are already in effect but this is not a formal check on the legislative branch.