UK polls raise legitimacy question

This week's election in Britain has prompted a heated debate about the potential legitimacy of the next government given that the party that wins the most votes may not end up governing.

The polls ahead of tomorrow's vote show the Conservatives and Labour neck-and-neck in percentage terms, but projections of the possible make-up of parliament point mostly to a Conservative victory.

That might stop short of a 326-seat majority in the House of Commons, however, and the Conservatives may not be able to gain enough support from smaller parties to form a government.

By contrast if Labour could secure enough votes for a majority, it could take the keys to Downing Street despite having technically lost. This last happened in 1923.

As the countdown to the vote begins, Conservative supporters have begun to argue that such a move would be "illegitimate" in the eyes of the electorate.

An added complication this year is the situation in Scotland, where the Scottish National Party is expected to win an overwhelming majority of seats.

The wrangling that has already begun about deals that could be made after the election indicates that the situation could get "messy", said Professor Robert Hazell, head of the Constitutional Unit at University College London.

"If the numbers are very close it's possible that there will be two rival camps both claiming to be able to form a credible government," he said. The default in that case is that Prime Minister David Cameron would stay in power and could call a confidence vote in parliament, effectively challenging his rivals to bring down the government.