Exit Polls Indicate Conservative Victory in UK Elections

In Britain, votes are being counted in what has been billed as an extremely unpredictable election. The polls closed three hours ago and the first results were a surprise. They placed the ruling Conservative Party in the lead with 316 seats, well ahead of the opposition Labour Party, with 239 seats in the House of Commons. That is short of a parliamentary majority, but would make it much easier for Prime Minister David Cameron to form another government. Before the elections, a closer result was predicted in most polls, with a victory for anti-Conservative forces. The exit polls also suggest a clear victory for the Scottish National Party led by Nicola Sturgeon on an anti-neoliberal platform. The strong showing of the Nationalist party, which would take 58 out of 59 seats, according to these polls, is attributed to their pro-independence position in last year’s referendum. teleSUR