The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Qualified Majority

an electoral majority of two-thirds, three-fourths, or the like; it differs from a simple majority, which is one vote over 50 percent. A qualified majority is usually required for adoption of the most important resolutions (for example, the introduction of amendments to constitutional laws). The Constitution of the USSR establishes that constitutional amendments by the Supreme Soviet of the USSR require a majority of not less than two-thirds of the votes in each chamber. A qualified majority is also needed for passing the verdict in a trial by jury.

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References in periodicals archive

Other aspects of social security require "qualified majority," where Germany has the most votes and Malta has the least.

EU 'special status' can give us opt-outs

The same qualified majority voting rules have prevented the 2010 cultivation proposal from being approved despite the support of a large majority of member states.

GMOS : UK SAYS READY TO SUPPORT 2010 PROPOSAL ON GM CULTIVATION

The Lisbon Treaty, which entered into force in December 2009, extends qualified majority voting to new policy areas, such as the budget, immigration, energy and humanitarian aid.

COUNCIL : VOTEWATCH: UNANIMITY STILL PREVALENT DESPITE QMV EXTENSION

Again, it would need a qualified majority to be approved.

EU foot and mouth move 'condemnation of Labour'

Language in the agreement on Qualified Majority Voting (QMV) means that over a wide raft of issues, the wishes of individual member states can now be overruled by a vote of the majority.

U.S. - EU trading relationships. (International Business)

"Going back to 19-hour days in stuffy conference rooms, arguing with the mad British press about qualified majority voting and inter-governmental conference, I'm left wondering where life went wrong."

Campbell blasts 'mad' press

Other EU members are planning to force Britain to abandon its veto on tax issues and allow them to be decided by qualified majority voting.

Brown's hard line on taxes

Previously, a qualified majority vote was necessary.

EU approves GATT agreement (European Union, General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade) (Brief Article)

To this end, the Single European Act replaced unanimous voting with "qualified majority voting" for the Council's adoption of most harmonization measures necessary to achieve the internal market.

Mutual recognition: integration of the financial sector in the European Community