UK faces a hung parliament after the 7 May general election

Over the past month, UK election uncertainty has not diminished: polls still point to a hung parliament after the 7 May election. Neither main party, Conservative or Labour, is polling near the 323 seats needed for a majority. 

Even in coalition with the Liberal Democrats (LibDems), polls suggest that the 323-seat threshold will not be met. If Labour wins the most seats, a minority Labour-LibDem coalition might be viable if Labour leader Ed Miliband is correct about informal support from the Scottish Nationalists (SNP, on course to be the third-largest party by seats, but unlikely to join the government). 

Uncertainty will become more acute if the Conservatives are the largest party, but cannot garner enough support to form a viable government. The SNP has committed to bring down any Conservative-led government. 

Yet, Labour may lack legitimacy as the second-largest party - the LibDems have indicated that they would be unhappy about supporting a "coalition of the losers".