this post was submitted on 25 May 2025
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Explain Like I'm Five
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Not always more then half, there have been instances where a government in Australia has formed with less then half of the seats. I believe those are called minority governments
Canadian here. A minority gov is one which has less than X seats (where X is 50% in Canada and I believe Australia too), and usually that requires a coalition. "Forming government" in a parliamentary system like these basically means "has a good chance of passing meaningful legislation." Since the leading party can't do so alone, they form an agreement with another party (or multiple) to help them reach that criteria.
It is entirely possible for the party with the most seats to also not form government, if they're far enough below 50% and can secure no agreement with another party to push them across the line. In these situations, another general election would soon follow.
That’s when they need a coalition