今年4月18日，英國首相特蕾莎?梅宣布要在6月8日提前舉行大選，次日，英國下議院投票通過該提議。她表示，英國脫歐公投后國家需要確定性、穩定性以及強有力的領導，而當前英國的議會處于分裂狀態，不利于進行脫歐談判。

當時的梅相以為憑借保守黨的高支持率，趁熱打鐵，在大選中大獲全勝一定沒有問題。可是，從投票結束時的出口民調，到逐個公布的選舉結果來看，保守黨想要得到326票的多數席位已無可能，英國將再次迎來“懸浮議會”（Hung Parliament）。

Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May leaves the Conservative Party's Headquarters after Britain's election in London, Britain June 9, 2017. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls

什么是“懸浮議會”？

When no single party can get enough MPs to form a majority on its own in a general election, parliament is said to be "hung". This happened at the 2010 election. The leader of the party with the most seats is given the opportunity to try to form a government. This can take two forms: a formal coalition with other parties or a more informal arrangement, known as “confidence and supply”, in which the smaller parties agree to support the main legislation.
當大選中沒有任何一方政黨贏得議院的多數席位，這個議會就被稱為“懸浮議會”。這個情況曾在2010年英國大選中發生過。得到最多席位的黨派領導人將有機會試著組建起一個政府。這個政府可能有兩種形式：與其他政黨組成正式的聯合政府，或者，達成一個非正式的執政協議，被稱為“信任支應協議”，這種情況下，較小的政黨同意支持主要政黨組建的政府。

對于此次大選，英國各大媒體都在實時報道：

The UK looks set to have a hung parliament with the Conservatives as the largest party, with most general election results now in.
隨著多數大選結果公布，英國已確定將迎來一個以保守黨為最大黨的懸浮議會。

It means Theresa May faces the humiliation of ending with fewer seats than when she called the election.
這就意味著梅相所在的保守黨在大選后的席位還沒有當初宣布大選的時候多，自己打了自己的臉。

The Tories are projected to get 318 seats, Labour 261 and the SNP 35.
保守黨預計將拿到318個席位，工黨261個，蘇格蘭民族黨35個。

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn called on Mrs May to resign - but she said the country needed stability and her party would "ensure" it was maintained.
工黨領袖科爾賓要求梅相辭職，但是，她表示，國家需要穩定，而她的政黨能夠“確保”目前的穩定局面。

Labour looks set to make 29 gains with the Tories losing 13 seats - and the SNP down by 22 seats in a bad night for Nicola Sturgeon, with her party losing seats to the Tories, Labour and Lib Dems.
工黨預計將額外贏得29個席位，保守黨則丟掉了13個席位，蘇格蘭民族黨的席位減少了22個，減少的這些席位都分散到了保守黨、工黨和自由民主黨手中。這對斯特爾金來說是個難熬的夜晚。

UKIP's vote slumped dramatically but rather than moving en masse to the Tories, as they had expected, their voters also switched to Labour.
英國獨立黨獲得的選票數量急劇下降，不過，與他們之前的預期不同的是，獨立黨的選票并沒有轉至保守黨，而是投給了工黨。

Mr Corbyn, speaking after being re-elected in Islington North, said it was time for Mrs May to "make way" for a government that would be "truly representative of the people of this country".
再次當選的科爾賓在北伊斯靈頓發表講話時說，是時候讓梅給能夠“真正代表這個國家的人民”的政府“讓路”了。

He said he was "very proud" of the results so far, which he said were a "vote for hope for the future" and said people were "turning their backs on austerity".
他說，他對目前為止的結果“很驕傲”，他表示這是一次“讓未來有希望的投票”，并表示人民“將緊縮拒之門外”。

The Conservatives have said that in the event of a hung Parliament, Mrs May would get the opportunity to form a government first.
在“懸浮議會”的結果產生后，保守黨表示，梅將有機會最先組建政府。

Speaking at her count in Maidenhead, Theresa May said the full picture had yet to emerge, but added: "At this time more than anything else, this country needs a period of stability.
在她自己的選區梅登黑德發表講話時，特蕾莎?梅表示目前尚未能窺得全局，但是她補充說：“在這個時候，相比其他任何事情，這個國家最需要的是一段穩定期。”

"And if, as the indications have shown and if this is correct that the Conservative Party has won the most seats and probably the most votes, then it will be incumbent on us to ensure we have that period of stability - and that is exactly what we will do."
“如果，就像指標顯示的那樣，保守黨獲得最多席位同時也很可能是最多票數這一事實準確無誤的話，那么我們就有義務確保我們擁有穩定期——而這也正是我們要做的。”

Speaking on ITV, George Osborne, who was sacked as chancellor last year by Mrs May, said: "Theresa May is probably going to be one of the shortest serving prime ministers in our history."
去年被梅相解除財政大臣職務的喬治?奧斯本在獨立電視臺發表講話時稱：“特蕾莎?梅很可能會成為英國有史以來執政時間最短的首相。”

He added: "Hard Brexit went in the rubbish bin tonight."
他還說：“英國硬脫歐今晚徹底廢了。”

DUP MP Simon Hamilton said his party's votes were going to be "incredibly important" in the new Parliament and they would push to get "a good deal for Northern Ireland as we leave the European Union".
民主統一黨議員西蒙?漢米爾頓說，他所在政黨的票數在新議會中將變得“無比重要”，而且他們將會努力在“脫歐期間為北愛爾蘭爭取大量利益”。

最后，一起看看英國各大報紙對大選的頭版報道吧！

《衛報》：科爾賓讓保守黨傻眼了

《太陽報》：特蕾莎?倒霉

《泰晤士報》：梅的選舉噩夢

《每日郵報》：豪賭失利 特蕾莎命懸一線

《每日鏡報》：科爾...賓呀！

英文來源：BBC、衛報
翻譯&編輯：馬文英、陳丹妮