General election

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A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of an elected body, typically a legislature.^{[inconsistent]} They are distinct from by-elections, which fill a seat that has become vacant between general elections. In most systems, a general election is a regularly scheduled election, typically including members of a legislature, and sometimes other officers such as a directly elected president.^{[citation needed]} General elections may also take place at the same time as local, state/autonomous region, European Parliament, and other elections, where applicable.^[1] For example, on 25 May 2014, Belgian voters elected their national parliament, 21 members of the European Parliament, and regional parliaments.

In the United States, "general election" has a slightly different, but related meaning: the ordinary electoral competition following the selection of candidates in the primary election.^{[citation needed]}