Teresa May Election Gamble Backfires

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Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May leaves with her husband Philip after voting in the general election at polling station in Maidenhead, England, Thursday, June 8, 2017. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
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The polls have closed in the United Kingdom’s general election and early exit polls suggest that no party has won enough seats to win an overall majority and form a government. The ruling Conservative party needs 326 seats to win an overall majority and guarantee that Theresa May would continue as Britain’s Prime Minister.

Exit polls show that although they appear to have garnered the most seats, at 314 predicted, that still leaves them 12 short of being able to form a government without having to form a coalition with another party. Previous prime minister David Cameron was forced to do this in the 2010 elections when the Conservatives teamed-up with the Liberal Democrats.

The second largest seat winner, according to the exit polls, will be the Labour Party, lead by socialist Jeremy Corbyn, with a predicted 266 seats. If correct, the Labour party could wield enormous power as the conservatives will have to negotiate with them — and possibly renege on key party policies.

Another potentially key lawmaker is Nicola Sturgeon, the leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP), which, if the polls are correct, would be the third largest party in Britain with 34 seats — despite only operating in Scotland.

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