0:00:13 > 0:00:18Members of Parliament will vote later today
0:00:18 > 0:00:21on whether to have a general election - that's where adults vote
0:00:21 > 0:00:22on who they want to run the country.
0:00:22 > 0:00:26It's after Prime Minister Theresa May made the surprise announcement
0:00:26 > 0:00:28that she wanted to call one in June.
0:00:28 > 0:00:31Here's what she said.
0:00:31 > 0:00:35Since I became Prime Minister, I have said that there should be no
0:00:35 > 0:00:37election until 2020.
0:00:37 > 0:00:40But now I have concluded that the only way to guarantee
0:00:40 > 0:00:43certainty and stability for the years ahead is to hold this
0:00:43 > 0:00:52election and seek your support for the decisions I must take.
0:00:52 > 0:00:56So it's a big day for the whole UK but it starts in London
0:00:56 > 0:00:57and Ayshah is there.
0:00:57 > 0:00:58Hello, Ayshah.
0:00:58 > 0:01:01Hi, Martin.
0:01:01 > 0:01:03Yes, I'm at Downing Street in Westminster in London.
0:01:03 > 0:01:05Behind that door is where the Prime Minister
0:01:05 > 0:01:06Theresa May lives and works.
0:01:06 > 0:01:10Later, she will go around the corner to to the Houses of Parliament
0:01:10 > 0:01:13where all the MPs will vote on whether or not to give
0:01:13 > 0:01:16the Prime Minister her wish and to have that big vote -
0:01:16 > 0:01:19a general election.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22These big votes are supposed to take place every five years
0:01:22 > 0:01:25so it was a big surprise to hear Mrs May say she wants one.
0:01:25 > 0:01:35Here's our political expert Adam Fleming.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43This came as a total surprise to people who watch politics.
0:01:43 > 0:01:45Imagine the most surprising thing that's ever happened
0:01:45 > 0:01:49to you and multiply it by about 100 and that is why there are so many
0:01:49 > 0:01:52journalists from across the UK and around the world reporting
0:01:52 > 0:01:52here on the news.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55Theresa May says that she wants there to be a general
0:01:55 > 0:01:57election on the 8th of June.
0:01:57 > 0:01:59So in about six or seven weeks' time.
0:01:59 > 0:02:01Although she can't just say it, she has got to get Parliament
0:02:01 > 0:02:03to vote in favour of it.
0:02:03 > 0:02:06This is all about Brexit, which is that process of taking
0:02:06 > 0:02:09the UK out of the club of 27 other European countries called the EU.
0:02:09 > 0:02:12Theresa May is about to start negotiating with lots of other prime
0:02:12 > 0:02:15Theresa May is about to start negotiating with lots of other
0:02:15 > 0:02:16prime ministers and presidents from around Europe.
0:02:16 > 0:02:19She reckons that by having an election year, she could get more
0:02:19 > 0:02:23MPs who are on her side and that will make her job a bit easier.
0:02:23 > 0:02:25What happens next is weeks of debates, arguments, leaflets,
0:02:25 > 0:02:29adverts and fights about all sorts of things like the police,
0:02:29 > 0:02:30the economy, Scotland, health and what happens
0:02:30 > 0:02:32in your schools.
0:02:32 > 0:02:41It is going to be fascinating to watch.
0:02:41 > 0:02:44Members of Parliament are likely to vote later to allow this
0:02:44 > 0:02:51big vote to take place.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54It'll take place on 8th of June - so what happens
0:02:54 > 0:03:01in a general election?
0:03:01 > 0:03:03So how does a general election work?
0:03:03 > 0:03:13Well, the UK is divided into 650 areas called constituencies.
0:03:13 > 0:03:15Each area has a Member of Parliament, or an MP,
0:03:15 > 0:03:16who represents it.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19All of them get a seat here, in the Houses of Parliament.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22In a general election, adults 18 and over get the chance
0:03:22 > 0:03:25to vote for who should be the MP in their area.
0:03:25 > 0:03:27On election day, people go to polling stations to vote.
0:03:27 > 0:03:30They get a ballot paper with names of all the candidates,
0:03:30 > 0:03:37that's the people running to be the MP.
0:03:37 > 0:03:41They put a cross next to the person they most want to represent them.
0:03:41 > 0:03:43The candidate who gets the most votes becomes MP.
0:03:43 > 0:03:45Most MPs are part of groups called political parties.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48Usually the political party that gets the most MPs out of the 650
0:03:48 > 0:03:51forms the new government, which runs the country.
0:03:51 > 0:03:57And that party's leader becomes the Prime Minister and moves
0:03:57 > 0:04:01into Number Ten Downing Street.
0:04:01 > 0:04:05So it's a very busy time for politicians and for voters.
0:04:05 > 0:04:09We've got 49 days to wait before the election happens and there'll be
0:04:09 > 0:04:11a lot of talking and arguing between now and then as each
0:04:11 > 0:04:13side explains why adults should vote for them.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16The leader of the winning party will be back in
0:04:16 > 0:04:20Downing Street on 9th June.
0:04:20 > 0:04:28Back to you, Martin.
0:04:28 > 0:04:31Thanks, Ayshah, and you can go online to find out more on this
0:04:31 > 0:04:33story including exactly what happens during a general election.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36Now sadly it was the end of Leicester City's adventure
0:04:36 > 0:04:37in the Champions League last night.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40Saul Nigez scored first for Atletico Madrid but then
0:04:40 > 0:04:42Jamie Vardy scored in the second half to give Leicester a chance
0:04:42 > 0:04:45but it ended up as 1-1.
0:04:45 > 0:04:49As these matches are decided over two games, Atletico got
0:04:49 > 0:04:56through because they won the first match 1-0 meaing the final result
0:04:56 > 0:05:01was 2-1 to Atletico.
0:05:01 > 0:05:01That's all from me.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06We love CBBC. And we love The Next Step.
0:05:06 > 0:05:07And The Dumping Ground.