Hung Parliament - Definition

In Parliamentary systems, a hung parliament is one in which no one political party has an outright majority. This situation is normal in legislatures with proportional representation, but in first past the post chambers, it is a rarity, as the voting system under-represents the minor parties.

A hung parliament will force either a coalition government, a minority government or a dissolution of parliament.

The most recent hung parliament after a general election in the United Kingdom was the February 1974 general election, which lasted until the October election that year. Prior to that the last had been the election of 1929.

The current parliament of Canada is a hung parliament.