Choosing an appropriate electoral system is vital for governance is a country. According to Heywood (2007:256), an electoral system is a set of rules that governs the procedure of elections. This essay will explore the two divisions of electoral systems; proportional electoral system and the majoritarian electoral system. Under the majoritarian system, the ‘First Past The Post’ system will be explored and under the proportional system, the Party List system will be explored. The essay seeks to explore the contrasts and similarities in the system. Firstly, each system will be unpacked in detail. Secondly, their advantages and disadvantages will be outlined. Lastly, the essay will unpack how similar or contradictory these systems are. The purpose
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The FPTP basically says ‘winner takes all’ and in a nutshell it means a candidate wins by receiving more votes than his/her opponents. A country is dived into single member constituencies and the most ideal person is chosen to represent a constituency .(http://www.electoral-reform.org.uk/majoritarian-electoral-systems). The aim of this system is to manufacture a majority in order for parliament to be ruled by a single party therefore promoting effective governance. Larger parties gain disproportional amount of seats in parliament leaving the smaller parties to gain very …show more content…
In the interest of society, FPTP promotes a link between the representative and constituents as their representatives are from that geographical area and they know the needs of the constituents. It also promotes accountability and responsibility by the government on their policies as the state is ruled by a single party. This system is easy for citizens to understand as they vote for a candidate and they can easily assess the candidate instead of voting for a larger party that may be ineffective in some areas. It also prevents extremist parties from involving themselves in the legislature as they may impose radical policies that do not put the constituency’s interest at heart. This system has its drawbacks as well. This electoral system does not promote fairness as minority system have a very little voice in governance. There is inconsistency as well as ruling parties may change after a certain period thus changing the entire system of rule as the new system might take or abolish certain policies. This system is also said to promote tactical voting as some voters do not vote for the candidate they least prefer but they vote against the candidate they
The FPTP basically says ‘winner takes all’ and in a nutshell it means a candidate wins by receiving more votes than his/her opponents. A country is dived into single member constituencies and the most ideal person is chosen to represent a constituency .(http://www.electoral-reform.org.uk/majoritarian-electoral-systems). The aim of this system is to manufacture a majority in order for parliament to be ruled by a single party therefore promoting effective governance. Larger parties gain disproportional amount of seats in parliament leaving the smaller parties to gain very …show more content…
In the interest of society, FPTP promotes a link between the representative and constituents as their representatives are from that geographical area and they know the needs of the constituents. It also promotes accountability and responsibility by the government on their policies as the state is ruled by a single party. This system is easy for citizens to understand as they vote for a candidate and they can easily assess the candidate instead of voting for a larger party that may be ineffective in some areas. It also prevents extremist parties from involving themselves in the legislature as they may impose radical policies that do not put the constituency’s interest at heart. This system has its drawbacks as well. This electoral system does not promote fairness as minority system have a very little voice in governance. There is inconsistency as well as ruling parties may change after a certain period thus changing the entire system of rule as the new system might take or abolish certain policies. This system is also said to promote tactical voting as some voters do not vote for the candidate they least prefer but they vote against the candidate they