In a parliamentary system, what is a government called that has the most, but less than half of, the seats in the legislature?

In a parliamentary system, a government that holds the most seats in the legislature but does not have an outright majority—defined as more than half of the available seats—is known as a minority government. This situation occurs when a single political party wins the largest share of seats during an election, yet the total number remains insufficient to control the majority, leading to a need for cooperation with other parties for legislation to pass.

A minority government is significant because it often requires negotiation and compromise with other parties to achieve legislative goals. This arrangement can lead to instability and frequent elections if the government cannot maintain the confidence of the legislature. In contrast, a majority government has more than half the seats, allowing it to govern with greater authority, while a coalition government involves an agreement between two or more parties to work together, usually to create a majority. A single-party government refers to a scenario where one party governs alone, typically implying a majority; thus, it cannot accurately describe a government with less than half the seats.