Polls open in yet another U.K. election

The United Kingdom is holding a December election for Parliament for the first time in nearly a century. The outcome of Thursday’s vote will determine who will serve as prime minister during the next phase of Britain’s long, drawn-out effort to leave the European Union.

What is at stake? It’s one of the country’s most significant elections, and the third in fewer than five years. Prime Minister Boris Johnson called for the snap vote two years ahead of schedule, hoping his Conservative Party can pick up enough seats to break the Brexit stalemate ahead of the new Jan. 31, 2020, deadline. His main opponent, Jeremy Corbyn, has promised a new referendum on Brexit if his Labour Party wins a majority. Election officials will begin counting the votes once polls close at 10 p.m. GMT.

Dig deeper: Read my World Tour report about the historic religious conflict at the heart of the Brexit debate.