Build a voting algorithm in PHP

We need an algorithm writing in PHP to calculate the results of an election using the Single Transferable Vote system.

The algorithm should take a data set representing Candidates and Votes, then process this data to produce one or more elected Candidates, outputting the results of the election in both human and computer-readable forms.

A full specification and outline breakdown of the functions required is attached.

The delivered code should be fully commented to aid integration with our systems and any future development.