The 1990 English general election was held on May 1st, 1990 as per the Constitution of the Republic of England's mandate that an election be held every three years. Out of 601 possible seats, the Conservative Party under John Cleese won one of the largest landslides in democratic history over the ruling Labour Party, led by Prime Minister John Oliver, beating Labour 503-98. The election provided the largest single-party majority ever brought to power by democratic means.