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Proportional Representation | Proportional Representation vs First Past the Post System
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- Context (TH): The distribution of vote share in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections in 2024 raised the debate on the need for proportional representation in India’s electoral system.
About Proportional Representation
- PR aims to ensure that a party’s share of legislative seats closely matches its share of the popular vote.
Types
Single Transferable Vote (STV)
- Voter rank candidates in order of precedence.
- Adopted for election of members to Rajya Sabha & State Legislative Councils and for electing President and Vice President.
List System
- Voters vote for the Party and then candidates get seats in proportion to their vote share.
Mixed Member Proportional system
- Maintains balance between stability and proportionate representation.
- Under it, voters cast two votes- a ‘party vote’that determines the overall composition of the Parliament and an ‘electorate vote’ to elect a local MP for their geographical constituency.
- Followed in New Zealand, South Korea, and Germany.
Proportional Representation vs First Past the Post System
| Feature | First Past the Post (FPTP) | Proportional Representation (PR) |
| Winner Selection | The candidate with the most votes in a constituency wins. | Seats are allocated based on the party’s overall vote share (Party List PR). |
| Representation of Parties | Can lead to over/under-representation of parties. | Seats closely reflect parties’ vote shares. |
| Voter Choice | Vote for individual candidates. | Often, vote for party lists, not individuals. |
| Governing Majorities | Provides stability by allowing the ruling party/coalition to govern with a majority. | May lead to coalition governments and diverse representation. |
| Political Diversity | Tends to favour two-party systems. | Encourages multi-party systems. |
| Geographical Representation | The strong link between MPs and local constituencies. | Weaker local ties, especially in list-based PR. |
| Simplicity | Simple to understand and count. | It can be more complex (depending on the specific PR system) |
| Wasted Votes | High (votes for non-winning candidates don’t count). | Low (most votes contribute to seat allocation). |
| Examples | UK, US, India, Canada. | Brazil, Argentina, South Africa. |
| Thresholds | No minimum vote threshold. | Often has a minimum vote % for representation (e.g., 3-5% vote share). |
| Minority Representation | Can underrepresent minorities | Better represents minority views |
| Extremist Parties | Tends to marginalise | May give a platform to extreme views |
| By-elections | Required if MP resigns/dies | Often filled from party lists |
International Practices
- Germany: Uses Mixed Member PR (MMPR), combining FPTP and proportional allocation.
- New Zealand: The House of Representatives has 120 seats, 60% of which are FPTP and 40% proportional.
- South Africa: Party-list proportional representation system.
- Netherlands: Seats in parliament are directly proportional to vote share.
- Belgium: Proportional representation ensures parties are represented according to their vote share.
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