Simplify the following text for a Grade 8 native English-speaking person.
Original: The United Kingdom general election , 1997 was held on 1 May 1997 , more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992 , to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons .
Simplified: The UK general election , 1997 was an election held on 1 May 1997 to elect 659 members to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom .