Government Electoral Systems PDF

GOVERNMENT ELECTORAL SYSTEMS  ELECTORAL SYSTEMS  In most Caribbean countries the simple majority of first past the post system is followed.  The other major electoral system is proportional representation which is used in Guyana and some other non Caribbean South American countries. ...

GOVERNMENT ELECTORAL SYSTEMS  ELECTORAL SYSTEMS  In most Caribbean countries the simple majority of first past the post system is followed.  The other major electoral system is proportional representation which is used in Guyana and some other non Caribbean South American countries.  How the first past the post system works?  In this system, a country is divided up into constituencies.  A constituency is a group of voters in a specific geographical area.  Each political party will nominate a candidate for election in each constituency. The candidate gaining most votes in a constituency wins the constituency election and becomes the constituency’s representative in the lower house of parliament. (he or she is said to have won a seat in parliament) St Kitts and Nevis is divided into constituencies  How the Proportional Representation works?  In this system, the whole country is treated as a single constituency.  Political parties prepare a list of candidates based on the number of seats in parliament.  The list is put in order of preference by the party leader and made public.  People vote for the party and not a candidate.  Each party is awarded seats in parliament based on the proportion of votes it gains in the election.  A party winning 20 per cent of the votes is awarded 20 per cent of the seats, which will go to the first 20 per cent of candidates on the list. Guyana is treated as a single constituency  Benefits of using first past the post electoral system.  Guarantees that the election is won by the candidate with the highest number of votes.  Promotes accountability within a constituency from an individual parliamentarian since he or she are responsible to his or her constituency.  Constituencies can choose their own representative  Constituents can appeal directly to their representative regarding services in the constituency.  Disadvantage of using first past the post electoral system  Constituencies that elect members in opposition may be neglected or victimised by the government.  It allows for gerrymandering  Independent candidate who are not from a political party can struggle to gain votes.  Benefits of using the proportional representation electoral system.  Provides for representation of minority political parties.  Eliminates gerrymandering.  Each party is allocated seats in proportion to the votes it receives.  Disadvantage of using proportional representation electoral system.  Too wide a range or too great a number of parties is formed, spreading votes too thinly and running the risk of no party gaining an absolute majority.  Weakens the relationship between voters and parliamentarians – the parliamentarian is representing the country not a local constituency.  The party leader has a lot of power when compiling the list of preferred candidates.  In Closing  An electoral system is the set of procedures whereby a country chooses its government.  There are two main electoral systems known as first past the post proportional representation