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In most elections a win constitutes success, and a defeat failure.
But this UK election is certainly not normal — Prime Minister Theresa May did not need to have this snap vote and has had a disappointing campaign.
So, what will the parties be happy with as the results come in?
In the blue corner …
The Conservatives currently have 330 seats out of 650, giving the Prime Minister a working majority of 17.
It is enough for normal government, but with difficult Brexit negotiations and controversial parliamentary votes on the EU exit expected over the next five years, Ms May wants a much bigger buffer.
At the start of the campaign she held more than a 20-point lead in some polls and was convinced the early election gamble was worth it.
What would be an outstanding result for the Tories?
A majority of 80 or even 100-plus seats would allow Ms May to stamp her authority all over Brexit.
Internal divisions on the issue run deep within the Conservatives.
There are those who want a "soft" Brexit that keeps the UK in the EU single market and those who want a "hard" Brexit that sees the country cut ties with the bloc completely.
A huge majority means internal critics would need to marshal large numbers to force the Prime Minister to back down on controversial issues.
In short, she would be in a commanding position at home for the next five years.
What would be considered success?
Most Conservatives would be relatively happy with a majority of 50-plus seats.
It would not be the overwhelming landslide some in the party thought was coming at the start of the campaign, but Ms May would still have considerable wriggle room when she needs it most.
What would be considered failure?
A loss or hung parliament would be disastrous and really anything around the current margin of 17 should be considered a major disappointment.
Those outcomes could all spell the end for Ms May.
But given the poll lead was so large at the beginning of what has been a disappointing campaign for the Prime Minister, anything much below 50 or 40 will have some Conservatives asking — what was the point of having the election?
In the red corner …
Labour currently has 229 seats out of 650.
Jeremy Corbyn's party was expected to be crushed at the beginning of this campaign.
The party's internal woes are enormous — just last year 80 per cent of Mr Corbyn's parliamentary colleagues declared they had no confidence in him.
Despite a few slip-ups, the leader has had a good campaign and has looked like a man with nothing to lose.
His left-wing agenda appears to have energised more young people, particularly in London.
What would be an outstanding result for Labour?
A win or a hung parliament.
Either outcome could see Mr Corbyn become Prime Minister — no-one predicted that at the start of the campaign.
What would be considered a success?
This is a matter of great contention within the party.
Mr Corbyn's team say increasing in the national share of the vote from the 2015 result of 30 per cent would mean that the Labour leader deserves to keep his job.
But UK elections, like Australian ones, are decided by seats — not the overall vote.
Anecdotal evidence suggests while Labour is picking up more of the vote in safe seats it already holds, it is not making enough ground in its traditional heartlands across the north.
What would be considered a failure?
Anything less than 200 seats would be considered pretty disastrous.
But some in the party — particularly those who do not like the Opposition leader — claim any reduction in seats should see Mr Corbyn get the chop.
The minor parties
Polling suggests voters are gravitating back towards the major parties at this election.
UK Independence Party (UKIP) currently has zero seats.
The Liberal Democrats have nine, and north of the English border, the Scottish National Party (SNP) currently holds 54.
What would be considered a success for the minor parties?
Picking up seats in the face of polling that suggests support is ebbing away.
What would be considered a failure?
The Lib Dems will be disappointed if they lose any more seats.
They have tried to position themselves as the only pro-EU party but their polling has been poor.
The SNP's situation is more complicated.
It was so dominant last time — winning nearly every seat in Scotland — that it could lose a couple of constituencies and still be relatively happy.
At a minimum, it wants to keep its majority and continue to dominate the northern political landscape so it can push for a second independence referendum.
What will happen?
Most pundits in the British media suggested the Conservatives should get a majority of between 50 and 80 seats, which Ms May would be happy with.
But that was blown out of the water as polls closed when the BBC predicted the Conservatives could actually lose their majority.
Such a result would be a potential political death blow for Ms May, whose election gamble would be seen to have backfired spectacularly.
Topics: world-politics, elections, united-kingdom
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