Originally Posted by
EatYerGreens
That's just vague and American.
If you own 50% +1 of the shares in any company, you can dominate proceedings. However - you can't have your own way entirely, as there will be certain key decisions which require a 75%+ vote - e.g. disposal of major assets etc. Hence why 50% is not considered a controlling majority - as it doesn't enable you to control everything. With 75%+ (it may differ slightly by company, depending upon their articles and constitution) you have that power/control - hence why it's the controlling interest, rather than a simple majority one.