Snap election
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In the Westminster parliamentary system a snap election is an early election called when the Prime Minister (or Premier) dissolves the legislature mid-way in a government's mandate.
In Canada, a snap election also refers to an election called when no one expects it, usually to capitalize on an unique electoral opportunity or to decide a pressing issue. The most notable case is the Canadian federal election, 1958 where Prime Minister John Diefenbaker called an election just nine months after the previous one and transformed his minority government into the largest majority in the history of Canada.
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