British Leadership Scramble Yields First Coalition Government in 70 Years

Unlike American elections, where voters chose between individuals running for president, British voters don't choose a national leader. They instead vote for local members of Parliament, and the party that wins the largest number of seats in Parliament then forms the government, usually with the party leader as prime minister. 

But when none of the parties won a majority of seats in the Parliament in early May, British lawmakers had to come up with a deal that would enable one party's leader to become prime minister.

The opposition Conservative Party, which picked up the most seats in Parliament, made a deal with the Liberal Democrat Party to share power, forcing the head of the Labor Party, Prime Minister Gordon Brown, to resign. The deal brought the Labor Party's 13 years in power to a close.   

Conservative Party leader David Cameron, 43 years old, becomes the youngest prime minister in 200 years. The deputy prime minister, Liberal Democrat Party Leader Nick Clegg, is also 43. 

Similarities to the American Republican Party

	Margaret Thatcher is one of the British Conservative Party's most famous leaders. She was Prime Minister from 1979 until 1990.

Britain's Conservative Party is much like the Republican Party in America, favoring the free market and individual freedoms. However, David Cameron is also seen as progressive on such issues as gay rights and the environment.

Also referred to as the Tory Party because of its close connections to the historic Tory and Whig Parties dating back to the 1600s and 1800s, the Conservative Party was in charge for much of the 20th century. 

One of the Conservative Party's most famous leaders was Margaret Thatcher, who was prime minister from 1979 until 1990 and was especially good friends with America's popular Republican president, Ronald Reagan.

Two parties try joint governing

	Former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown resigned after the other major parties in the race forged an agreement, or coalition.

At one point in the negotiations, Brown hoped to make a deal with the Liberal Democrats, but it was quickly labeled as the coalition of the losers, because both of those parties actually lost seats in the election.

In the final tally of constituencies, Conservatives garnered 306, Labor had 258, Liberal Democrats 57 and other parties 28.

The new government forged under this agreement allows for 18 Conservative members and five Liberal Democrat members of the cabinet, the top officials who advise the prime minister.

Ned Temko, a writer for the British Observer newspaper who is also working on a book about British politics, told the NewsHour that the power sharing "is to make sure this isn't a fragile coalition…because there's lots of speculation that it could last for a year, maybe even six months."

At the first cabinet meeting at 10 Downing Street, the equivalent of the White House in the United States, Deputy Prime Minister Clegg said the coalition was intended to last five years, noting “a huge overlap, a shared agenda and a common purpose between the parties.”

Individual cabinet members were reminded to agree in public and to bring any policy disagreements directly to Cameron and Clegg. Cell phones and BlackBerrys were banned from cabinet meetings because they could disrupt the unity and discipline of the coalition.

Budget crisis is first priority

	The British government is preparing to make significant budget cuts in order to address its massive deficit.

"No matter who is in Number 10 Downing Street, it was pretty clear there are going to have to be massive and sustained cuts in a public expenditure," Temko told the NewsHour.

The Guardian Newspaper reports that there are plans to cut more than 15 percent in all departments other than the national health system and international development.

The cabinet ministers quickly moved to endorse a proposal to cut 5 percent from all ministers’ salaries in an effort to reign in the country's $240 billion dollar deficit. The cut reduces Cameron's salary to about $210,000, slightly more than half of President Barack Obama's salary.