Just to further muddy the waters on the definition of "majority", note Duverger's use of the term as apparently synonymous with "plurality":
Outside the US (or North America) it's normal to use "majority" or "simple majority" for what Americans call "plurality", and "absolute majority" for "majority".
http://news.bbc.co.uk/vote2001/hi/english/voting_system/newsid_1173000/1173697.stm
I made a short search and it seems that "simple majority" in the US means "more than 50%, as opposed to a 2/3rds majority or some other special majority". In the UK it seems to emphasize "majority of those present and voting, as apposed to a special majority or a majority of all members".
"SImple majority" clearly means "absolute majority" in this link from Scotland: http://www.sec.ed.ac.uk/Committees/AcYear/consult/VotingPaper.htm
Olli Salmi
----
For more information about this list (subscribe, unsubscribe, FAQ, etc), please see http://www.eskimo.com/~robla/em
