LONDON, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Polling stations opened in 650 constituencies across Britain at 7 a.m. (0700 GMT) Thursday in the country's general elections.

This is the second general election Britain witnessed since its Brexit referendum in 2016.

Elections in the UK traditionally take place every four or five years, but members of parliament voted in October for a second snap poll in roughly three years.

The general election was called in a bid to break the Brexit deadlock, which has gripped Britain ever since the seismic 2016 referendum vote to leave the European Union. After struggling to lead a minority administration, Conservative Party leader Boris Johnson hopes to secure a majority government that will enable him to take Britain out of the bloc on Jan. 31.