ABSTRACT
Almost all Western European countries, and an increasing number of countries outside Western Europe, have experience with coalition government. Coalition government is a form of government in which two or more political parties form the executive – if possible until the next elections. Spain and the United Kingdom are the only countries in Western Europe without a record of coalition government since 1945. In all other Western European countries, coalition governments have been in office for some or most of the time. In Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Switzerland, multi party government prevails. Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Switzerland never had a single party government since 1945.
