In a parliamentary democracy system, there are three branches of government: the head of state, usually a king or queen; the head of government, usually a prime minister; and the people, who vote during elections. Elections have four key functions: to choose the government, ensure the government maintains the support of the people, allow the people to change the government peacefully, and enable the people to participate in the political process. The election process involves voters casting ballots to select their parliamentary representatives in free and fair elections.