Brown wins vote in bid to rig elections in favour of Labour

LONDON (AP) — British legislators have approved government plans to hold a referendum by the end of 2011 on changing the country's electoral system.

Lawmakers in the House of Commons voted Tuesday by 365 to 187 in favor of a public vote on replacing the current first past the post — or single winner — system.

Under present rules, the winning candidate for a House of Commons seat does not need an absolute majority of votes.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown wants the public to consider the alternative vote system used in Australia. Voters order candidates in preference, and second choice votes are allocated if no candidate wins 50 percent of the first preference votes.

Any change wouldn't be enforced for Britain's next national election, which must be held by June 3.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press.

Ed: Really, given Brown's past form the title should probably have "even further" somewhere in it. "Banana republic" and all that.

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