snap elections
Unscheduled political contests
Snap elections are elections called earlier than scheduled, typically by a government seeking political advantage or responding to crisis.
The term emphasizes the sudden, unexpected nature of the announcement—called at a snap of the fingers rather than at the regular interval.
The prime minister called snap elections hoping to capitalize on favorable polls.
More common in parliamentary systems, where governments can dissolve and seek a new mandate, than in systems with fixed election dates.
- ballotVoting document
- ballot boxContainer for cast votes
- voteFormal choice expression
- unexpectedlyWithout prior indication
- dissolutionBreaking up completely
vote of no confidence · urgency · caretaker government · power grab · political instability · political turmoil · minority government · candidates · hurry · campaigns · campaign trail · precipitate · short notice · polling · polling day · constitutional crisis · coalition government · referendum
- electionsballot, ballots, voter registration, candidates, polls
- Philippine historypresidents, Spanish rule, vice president, revolutionaries, Imelda
- Italian PoliticsBerlusconi, Five Star, Democratic Party, coalition governments, political instability
- Asian ElectionsSharif, Marcos, Duterte
- Caucasus PoliticsGeorgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Tbilisi, Yerevan