II.

Commons

The House of Commons has 646 members, who are elected from the same number of constituencies by British subjects at least 18 years old. The maximum life of a Parliament is five years. Elections are set by the prime minister on the basis of political necessity or advantage. If the cabinet, formed by the leading party in Commons, loses a vote of confidence or fails to carry its legislation in Commons, it must resign or request a dissolution. An election can be held in as short a time as three weeks. Because of the strict party discipline, important decisions are often made not in Parliament, but beforehand in the less formal meetings of the cabinet and party caucus.