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Full Representation
Around the World: Articles Arranged by Category
Updated August
2003
Index
Countries
moving towards full representation
Countries
moving away from full representation
Countries
modifying or possibly modifying their system of full
representation
Defeated
or postponed attempts to move towards full representation
Articles
which advocate for full representation
People
who support full representation
Elections
and election results
Race,
class, and gender issues
Miscellaneous
/ full representation in practice
Countries moving
towards full representation
Agenzia Giornalistica Italia:
"Reforms:
Mazzella proposing new format for ruling parties." Italy's
Minister of Public Administration suggests electoral reform, to
include full representation in the parliament. February 7, 2004.
The Globe and Mail: "Panel
to recommend proportional voting." The independent Law
Commission of Canada will recommend in a March report that the House
of Commons adopt a full representation system for electing members
of parliament. Critics fear that such a change would result in
governmental chaos, while advocates hope that it would solve some of
the problems facing the nation, such as low voter turnout and civic
participation. February 2, 2004.
In "Is
Canada the mature nation the PM says it is?", the same
author, John Ibbitson, then raises questions as to how politics
would play out among the major parties with a full representation
system in place. February 2, 2004.
Sunday Observer: "Minority
parties react to Electoral Reform Report." An electoral
reform committee interim report advocates a mixed
first-past-the-post and full representation system for Sri Lanka.
Muslim leaders welcome the recommendation, while Tamil (particularly
Northeast Tamil) leaders have some reservations and would like to
see full representation as part of a package aimed at resolving 'the
national ethnic problem'. February 1, 2004.
Sri Lanka Daily News: "Select
Committee on Electoral Reform recommends: Mixed PR and
first-past-the-post systems." An interim report by the
Committee on Electoral Reforms and endorsed by the major parties
proposes using some full representation in Sri Lanka. January 24,
2004.
Sri Lanka Daily Mirror: "President
and Premier reach agreement." The President and Prime
Minister of Sri Lanka recently came to an agreement concerning
electoral reform for the nation. Changes will include full
representation in parliamentary elections, to be used in conjunction
with the first-past-the-post method. January 22, 2004.
AllAfrica.com: "Lethoso:
Focus on Challenges to Multiparty Democracy." Although
democracy remains fragile in Lethoso according to a South African
think tank, recent electoral reforms, including moving from a
winner-take-all to full representation system, have reduced the
probability of election-time unrest. January 15, 2004.
Mmegi, Bostwana: "Koma
calls for proportional representation." Botswana member of
parliament renews his call for proportional representation, arguing
that the nation would receive international praise for using such a
system. November 26, 2003.
Nassau Guardian:
’ÄúConstitution Reform booklet launched .’Äù
Constitutional reform is underway in the Bahamas, where the
Constitutional Reform Commission has begun its public education
campaign. The Commission intends to use public referendums to guide
the process. One of the issues up for discussion is wither the
Bahamas should move to a full representation system. July 16,
2003.
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation:
’ÄúLiberals want to change the way Quebec
votes.’Äù The Liberal Party, which has majority control in
Quebec’Äôs provincial government, have announced that it plans to
introduce some form of full representation in time for the next
election. The latest election was on April 14, 2003, and the next
election doesn’Äôt have a definitive date, as election terms are not
fixed in Canada. July 11, 2003.
The Namibian: ’ÄúDebate
starting on amendments to Electoral Act.’Äù Although the ward
system of single member districts has been abolished in favor of
full representation through the Local Authorities Amendment Act,
single member districts still remain a part of the Electoral Act. An
amendment is proposed to remove them from the text of the electoral
act as well. June 19, 2003.
The Herald : ’ÄúEnglish
regions can vote to copy Scotland: Assemblies plan will be decided
by referendums .’Äù Referendums will be held in three areas of
northern England to decide whether to create new local assemblies to
take over powers from the central governments. If created, the new
assemblies will use full representation. June 17, 2003.
Sunday Herald: ’ÄúMcConnell:
50% of councilors must be women.’Äù In addition to changing to
choice voting for local council elections in Scotland, First
Minister Jack McConnell and other Scottish Labor Party leaders
intend to reserve nearly half of the council seats for women. Most
local councilors in the Scottish Labour party are male. However, a
28-22 majority of the Members of the Scottish Parliament from the
Scottish Labour party are female. This is because the Scottish
Parliament already has a rule about dividing nominations for equally
winnable seats between men and women. June 1, 2003.
CBC News Online: ’ÄúIs
proportional representation really on the agenda?’Äù Article
discusses various possible motivations for Quebec government to move
towards full representation. Multiple parties are interested,
although not committed, and it is not clear how strong of a full
representation system will be put in place if there is a change.
April 1, 2003.
Ghanaian Chronicle, Ghana: ’ÄúMP pushes for
proportional representation.’Äù A Member of Parliament in Ghana
suggested that the Parliament should change to a full representation
(proportional representation) system, from the current plurality
system. Also, different formulas are discussed for adding seats to
the Parliament to cope with Ghana’Äôs growing population. February 27,
2003.
The Herald : ’ÄúMarwick
on attack after PR bill defeated .’Äù In Scotland, both the
Conservative Party and the Labor party have prepared bills for using
choice voting in Scottish local elections. However, the Conservative
bill was ready for vote in February, but the Labor bill will not be
ready until after the elections in May. Although the Liberal
Democrats are core supporters of choice voting, they voted against
the February bill, drawing heavy criticism from the National party.
February 7, 2003.
BBC News : ’ÄúCouncil
vote changes outlined: The bill would change how councillors are
elected .’Äù The Scottish Executive has published a draft bill
that would change the method of electing local government
from plurality to choice voting. However, the Scottish National
Party, who are in favor of using STV, are critical of the fact that
the draft bill is being published too late to be considered before
the next elections. February 4, 2003.
A draft copy of the Local Governance
(Scotland) Bill is available
in PDF . If passed, the bill will establish choice voting for
Scottish local elections, effective in time for the next round of
elections.
CBC News Online : ’ÄúLayton vows to put debate back in Canadian
politics.’Äù Jack Layton, the recently elected leader of
the Canadian federal New Democratic Party, calls for a national
referendum on full representation. January 26, 2003.
The Guardian: ’ÄúVoting change would be fitting legacy, say
campaigners.’Äù The director of Make
Votes Count, a British full representation group, laments
the death of full representation advocate Lord Jenkins, and
discusses the possibilities for full representation in Britain in
2003. January 6, 2003.
The East African Standard (Nairobi):
’ÄúLaw Could
Ease Land Rows .’Äù The author makes the case for the proposed
draft Constitution in Kenya, which includes regional devolution of
powers within a unitary state, bicameralism, and a mixed member
system of full representation. He explains why this is needed to
help resolve tension between different minority and majority groups
within Kenya. November 23, 2002.
Countries moving
away from full representation
Korea Herald: "Panel
passes election revision bills, but far from reaching compromise on
other changes." A political reform committee has come
to a consensus on three electoral changes, including a reduction in
the number of parliamentary seats elected using full representation
and requiring half of these positions to be occupied by women.
February 10, 2004.
IC North Wales: "Let
Assembly make laws, says minister." Environment Minister
Carwyn Jones pushes for greater law-making powers for the Welsh
Assembly. He also calls for reforms, including increasing the number
of representatives and doing away with the current full
representation model. January 26, 2004.
Eurasianet.org:
’ÄúLittle to Lose: Opposition in Azerbaijan .’Äù
This article discusses the political effects of a referendum passed
in 2002, which eliminates full representation from Azerbaijan
national government, and thus decreases the ability of dissenting
parties to participate in government. It also provides extensive
background on the history of political parties in Azerbaijan since
independence. February 3, 2003.
Countries modifying or
possibly modifying their system of full representation
The Herald: "Darling
speeds up electoral reform plan." A commission is to be
established to consider constituency boundaries for Scottish
parliament and the potential impact of four different electoral
models on civic life in Scotland. February 9, 2004.
The Scotsman: "Boundary
changes 'will stifle Scottish democracy'." The Labour and
Tory parties are being criticized for supporting proposals to
decrease the number of members of parliament elected using the list
system. Opponents claim that in backing this plan, they are
attempting to take power away from the smaller parties. February 4,
2004.
The Scotsman on Sunday: "McConnell
urged to change rules for PR voting." Opposition parties
are urging First Minister Jack McConnell to make the planned full
representation system fairer by allowing some constituencies to have
five representatives and others to have just two. February 1, 2004.
The Scotsman: "Executive
Advised to Make PR Vote Plans Fairer." Political parties
are negotiating a full representation bill in Parliament. The STV
working group has suggested that wards be represented by up to five
ministers, which is supported by the Liberal Democrats but opposed
by larger parties such as Labour, which favors three to four
ministers per ward. January 28, 2004.
The Scotsman: "Electoral
System Change 'Could Stop Extremist Parties'." Ken Ritchie
of the Electoral Reform Society comments on the likely effects of
full representation on the power of certain political parties in
Scotland. January 20, 2004. See more details
on the ERS website.
Kathimerini: ’ÄúAn
old favorite.’Äù Editorial suggests political motivations behind
the Greek PASOK party’Äôs attention to possible changes in the
electoral law. The PASOK party controls a majority of the seats in
the Greek Parliament. July 28, 2003.
Kathimerini: ’ÄúWith what
political compass...’Äù Discussion of the political factors
involved in a likely change in the Greek electoral system. July 21,
2003.
ERT, Athens: ’ÄúSimitis
aims for electoral reform.’Äù In Greece, the socialist PASOK party
has put forward plans for electoral reform. They have majority
control in Parliament, with 158 of 300 seats. The main opposition is
the conservative New Democracy party, with 125 seats. The Communist
KKE party have 11 seats, the socialist Coalition of the Left and
Progress has 6 seats, and the socialist DIKKI party has no seats at
present. July 19, 2003.
Kathimerini: ’ÄúA clash
before elections.’Äù Debates between parties over possible changes
to the electoral law, including a change in Greek’Äôs system of full
representation. To make the article more clear, the socialist PASOK
party has majority control in Parliament, with 158 of 300 seats. The
main opposition is the conservative New Democracy party, with 125
seats. The Communist KKE party have 11 seats, the socialist
Coalition of the Left and Progress has 6 seats, and the socialist
DIKKI party has no seats at present. July 15, 2003.
Novinte.com: ’ÄúBulgaria’Äôs
Electoral Code Passed at First Reading .’Äù Bulgaria’Äôs Parliament
passed a new Electoral code which changes the voting system from
direct party list full representation to a parallel
semi-proportional system. July 2, 2003
News24: ’ÄúElectoral
system stays as is.’Äù An electoral task team has recommended that
the 2004 elections take place according to the current party list
system, but most of those on the team recommend that the system be
changed for the 2009 elections. If the system is eventually
changed, the new system, like the current one, will probably
incorporate some form of full representation. March 5, 2003.
Sri Lanka Daily
News : ’ÄúPM
initiates dialogue with party leaders : Sub-Committee for Electoral
Reforms .’Äù A parliamentary committee is formed in Sri Lanka to
look at possibilities for electoral system reform. Sri Lanka
currently uses party list full representation. The committee will
deliberate whether to retain the party list system, to return to
plurality, or to introduce a mixed system. January 30, 2003.
Ha’Äôaretz: ’ÄúWas
return to single ballot a mistake?’Äù Israel has changed from a
twin ballot system to a single ballot system. In the twin ballot
system, voters placed one vote for the Prime Minister, and a
separate vote for a party list. The single ballot system discards
the direct vote for the Prime Minister, but maintains the party list
vote, which is the full representation component of the election.
January 29, 2003.
Business Day
(Johannesburg): ’ÄúParty List System Needs to Change .’Äù
Editorial supporting a possible change in South Africa from direct
party list full representation to a system of mixed member
proportional representation. January 9, 2003
Radio Free Europe
: Russia: ’ÄúCentrists
Propose Changing Electoral Law .’Äù Article discusses a proposal
by the powerful Unified Russia Party to raise the minimum threshold
of votes that parties would need to gain seats in the parliament. If
passed, such a measure would decrease the ability of smaller parties
to participate in government. October 18, 2002.
Pravda: ’ÄúState
Duma Speaker Favors 5 Percent Threshold for Parties in 2003
Parliamentary Elections .’Äù Brief news article. Duma speaker is
opposed to changing minimum vote threshold for seats in Russian
parliament before the 2003 elections. October 14, 2002.
Defeated or postponed attempts to move towards full
representation
The Hindu: ’ÄúJaitly:
Religious quotas dangerous.’Äù The ruling party in India has rejected a
bill which would introduce full representation (proportional representation), as well
as reserve seats in Parliament for certain minority
groups. July 25, 2003.
The Western Mail:
’ÄúAssembly
rejects poll changes .’Äù Although an independent commission
created by a past government recommended choice voting for Welsh
council elections, the current government has rejected the
recommendation. July 17, 2003.
The Guardian : ’ÄúCorsicans say
No to home rule .’Äù A plan for giving Corsica greater political
autonomy from France was submitted to the Corsican people by
referendum. It was narrowly defeated, by 51% to 49%. The plan would
have created a single Corsican assembly elected by full
representation. July 7, 2003.
The Guardian :
’ÄúPR on the backburner: It’Äôs a big idea whose time has
not yet come .’Äù The author sympathizes with British
Liberal Democrat leader’Äôs decision to focus on other policy agendas
besides full representation. January 28, 2003.
Articles which advocate for full
representation
AllAfrica.com: "Must
the Winner Always Take All?" This column describes feelings
of disenfranchisment that lead to low voter turnout as a result of
the winner-take-all system. The author touts full representation as
a way to ensure representation of the multiple parties emerging in
Uganda's political sphere. February 4, 2004.
The Globe and Mail: "PR
would have saved the PCs." This commentary advocates
full representation in Canada as a way to increase the
representation of minority parties and get more people out to vote.
January 2, 2004.
Daily Star,
Lebanon: ’ÄúIraq’Äôs
governing council: foul or fair?" The author, a former Jordanian
ambassador, believes that the Iraqi governing council should be
based on full representation rather than a rigidly divisive system
based on ethnic and religious groupings. August 8, 2003.
Daily News,
Botswana: ’ÄúPerpetual
rule, opposition party splits frustrating, says MISA director.’Äù
The director of the Media Institute for Southern Africa, speaking at
a Botswana Congress Party conference, calls for a an electoral
system combining full representation (proportional representation) with
single-member districts. Botswana currently uses the plurality
system, and the National Assembly has been dominated by a single
party for decades. July 28, 2003.
The Daily Star,
Bangladesh: ’ÄúParliamentary
reforms: Laws for lawmakers are the crying need.’Äù Opinion
article suggests that Bangladesh’Äôs Parliament suffers from
corruption and self-interest. Advocates various structural reforms,
including the use of a full representation system to replace the
current plurality system. July 22, 2003.
Monday Morning,
Lebanon: ’ÄúLebanon still in thrall to the sectarian
mindset
.’Äù Interview with a member
of the Lebanese Parliament. He critiques the
government as being sectarian and elitist, and names full representation as
a possible solution. July 22, 2003.
Irish Examiner:
’ÄúLet’Äôs
have one constituency for European polls.’Äù Because new countries
are being added to the European Parliament, the share of seats for
countries already represented in the Parliament, such as Ireland, is
decreasing, and therefore constituent boundaries will have to be
redrawn. The author
of this piece suggests that instead of
drawing a new set of boundaries, Ireland
should elect EP members as a single national constituency, using full
representation, of course. July 18, 2003.
Elm Street Magazine: ’ÄúThe Unjust
Society.’Äù A women’Äôs group in Canada discusses full
representation (proportional representation) as a means to allow
more equal representation for women in Parliament, and discuss the
state of the women’Äôs movement in general. July 3, 2003.
People’Äôs Democracy: ’ÄúWomen
Demand Quota, Police Arrest Them .’Äù For years, the Indian
government has been delaying action on a bill to reserve seats for
women in parliament and state assemblies. June 22, 2003.
Oherlad: ’ÄúDefections
And Proportional Representation.’Äù Editorial argues that India
should change their election system from plurality to full
representation. The author believes that full representation will
lead to more issues-based campaigns, less nepotism, less distortion
of seats per votes, and greater minority representation. May 28,
2003
People’Äôs Review, Nepal: ’ÄúDr.
Johan Galtung suggests for revision of constitution.’Äù A peace
studies professor suggests full representation as part of a peace
plan for Nepal, which has been engaged in a civil war since 1996.
May 22-28, 2003.
The Guardian : ’ÄúNow
the House of Lords will remain a laughing stock: any chance of
reform has gone thanks to Blair’Äôs moment of madness .’Äù Editorial
bemoaning the narrow failure of a measure in the British House of
Commons, which would have changed the House of Lords into a directly
elected body. The author advocates full representation. February 5,
2003.
Barbados Daily
Nation : ’ÄúReasonings:
Democracy under threat ?’Äù Editorial in favor of full
representation in Barbados. Under the current plurality system,
there are only two opposition members in the 28 member parliament.
January 20, 2003.
The East African
Standard: ’ÄúDistribution
of parliamentary seats is unfair .’Äù Editorial pointing out the
severe disparities of representation in Kenya, such that electoral
districts with very different population sizes are represented by
the same number of seats in parliament. December 25, 2002.
People who support full representation
GhanaWeb: "Go
to the Court for redress - Papa Owusu-Ankomah." Speaking on
the general theme of 'National Integration," Professor John
Kaburise of the University for Development Studies advocates
proportional representation in Ghana. November 21, 2003.
Mmegi, Botswana:
’ÄúBCP
revels in progress.’Äù The Botswana Congress Party is calling for
a change from the plurality system, to a combined system of full
representation. The BCP won 11.3% of the vote in
the 1999 National Assembly elections, but only won
2.5% of the seats. July 25, 2003.
Republic of Botswana,
Botswana: ’ÄúKoosaletse
criticises govt pact with US.’Äù The Botswana Congress Party, who
support full representation (proportional representation), are
critical of a deal that the ruling party has
made, which exempts US nationals from provisions of
the International Criminal Court. July 24, 2003.
Hailfax Daily News : ’ÄúHandicapping
the Tories.’Äù Profiles of candidates vying for leadership of the
Canadian Progressive Conservative party. David Orchard, a long-shot
candidate, supports full representation. February 7, 2003.
Leader-Post: ’ÄúNystrom and
Proctor get nod for critic posts.’Äù Full representation is a top
priority of the newly appointed justice critic for the New
Democratic Party of Canada, Lorne Nystrom. February 5, 2003.
CBC New Brunswick : ’ÄúProf
lobbies for electoral change .’Äù Article discusses the support of
political scientists for full representation in Canada. January 23,
2003
Fair Vote Canada: ’ÄúPolitical
scientists from 34 Canadian universities call for national
referendum on electoral reform.’Äù 103 political scientists from
34 universities have endorsed a call for a public consultation and
public referendum process that would enable Canada to switch to full
representation (proportional representaion). January 22, 2003.
Globe and Mail : ’ÄúNDP
risks stagnating, Nystrom warns .’Äù Lorne Nystrom, a candidate
for the Canadian New Democratic Party, criticizes his opponents. All
candidates, however, are in favor of full representation.
The Vancouver Sun: ’ÄúNDP front-runner promises referendum.’Äù Jack
Layton, the frontrunner for New Democratic Party leadership in
Canada, promises to make a referedum on full representation a
condition of joining into a coalition government. Includes a table
illustrating how the distribution of seats in Parliament would have
been different with full representation. January 6, 2003.
Elections and election
results
The Japan Times: "Reliance
on Komeito reflects LDP decline." Recent elections reveal
the workings of coalitions among the ruling Liberal Democratic Party
(LDP) and New Komeito and Soka Gakkai -- both third parties. In the
November House of Representatives elections, New Komeito endorsed
LDP candidates running in single-seat districts in exchange for LDP
support of New Komeito members in proportional representation
elections. January 3, 2004.
Daily Yomiuri: "New
Komeito tactics alarm LDP." Article discusses tactics used
by political parties in Japan's proportional representation
electoral system. December 10, 2003.
The Guardian: "Pro
Kremlin Party Sweeps Russia Elections." Discusses the
outcome of the recent Duma elections, in which the United Russia
Party consolidated its power. December 8, 2003. USA
today also printed a similar article.
New Zealand
Herald: "Hard-liners
victorious in Northern Ireland." Describes the results of
the Northern Ireland Assembly elections. November 29, 2003.
See also Northern
Ireland Elections web page.
Voice of America
News: ’ÄúRuling
Party Wins Cambodian Election
.’Äù Article discusses the results of the election and
their implications. August 2003.
Associated Press Asia: ’ÄúOfficials Confirm Hun Sen Party’Äôs Leads.’Äù
Cambodia, which uses a party list form of full representation, also
has a requirement that parties or coalitions must have two-thirds
control in Parliament to form a government. The KPK or Cambodian
People’Äôs Party, led by Hun Sen, has won a clear majority of the
seats, but nevertheless must form a coalition in order to create a
government. The difficulty of this may lead to prolonged political
deadlock. July 31, 2003.
Republic Mexico City Bureau: ’ÄúMexico's voters deal Fox setback, deny him a majority
in Congress.’Äù Mexican President Vicente Fox is a member
of the National Action Party (PAN), which suffered losses in the
Chamber of Deputies election, weakening his position. The strongest
party in Congress is the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI),
the party which controlled Mexico from the time of the revolution in
1910-1917 until the elections in 2000 where Fox became President.
July 7, 2003.
Elections to Mexico's Congress: A brief
description of the voting systems used to elect Mexico's two houses
of Congress. See also Results of Chamber of Deputies Election
2003, a table which analyzes the results in terms of
votes and seats won by each party.
Associated Press: ’ÄúCampaigning
north of the border.’Äù Six of the candidates running for Mexico’Äôs
lower house of Congress are U.S. residents, although they are
Mexican citizens. Such candidates are spending time campaigning for
support in the U.S., pledging to gain a voice in Congress for
Mexican citizens living in America. Although millions of U.S.
residents are technically eligible to vote in Mexican elections,
they are not allowed an absentee ballot, and so must travel to
Mexico to vote. Mexico uses a mixed member system of full
representation. June 18, 2003.
Eurasianet.org: ’ÄúCoalition Government Likely Outcome of May 25
Parliament Elections in Armenia.’Äù Article written a few
days before the 2003 elections for parliament and for a referendum
on adopting a new constitution, discussing the parties and the
issues at stake. In 2002, Austria adopted a parallel system for its
legislature, which is a combination of full represention and
winner-take-all. May 22, 2003.
VOA News: ’ÄúEstonia
Holds Parliamentary Elections .’Äù Article written on the day of
the March elections to Estonia’Äôs Parliament. The result was that a
coalition government was formed between Res Publica, Reform, and
Rahvaliit. March 2, 2003.
Sydney Morning Herald, Australia: ’ÄúMajor changes in the house as the mice all
roar.’Äù In the New South Wales region of Australia, which
includes Sydney, small parties are gaining ground on the biggest
three parties (Labor, Liberal, and National.) The Parliament of New
South Wales is divided into two houses, the Legislative Assembly, or
lower house, and the legislative council, or upper house. Elections
to the lower house are divided into 93 single member districts,
using instant runoff voting, and the upper house is elected by
choice voting in one state-wide district. March 1, 2003.
Daily Times, Pakistan: ’Äú35
in race for 22 seats from NWFP .’Äù Article provides background on
Pakistan’Äôs Senate, which is elected by the members of the Provincial
Assemblies using choice voting. It also lists the candidates who are
running. February 23, 2003.
Hi Pakistan: ’ÄúBargaining for Senate seats in full swing
.’Äù Members of the Pakistan Senate are elected by the members of the
provincial assemblies assemblies (who number 168 in total), using
choice voting. This article discusses the different voting power of
each political party, in terms of how many Senators they will be
able to elect on their own, and how many votes they will have left
over to pool with other parties to elect further Senators. February
16, 2003.
The Guardian: ’ÄúScargill
to stand in Welsh elections .’Äù Article discusses the candidacy
of Arthur Scargill for the Welsh assembly, which is elected by a
form of mixed member proportional representation (or ’Äúadditional
member system,’Äù as it is known in the UK). Arthur Scargill is
running for the Socialist Labour party. February 12, 2003.
Associated Press : ’ÄúMonaco Votes
For Parliamentary Seats .’Äù Article written on the day of the
2003 elections, in which the opposition party won 21 of 24 seats
from what had been the ruling party for decades. February 9,
2003.
Inter Press Service : ’ÄúTaylor
Seeks Re-Election, Despite Growing Opposition .’Äù Article that
discusses the struggle for peace and democracy in war-torn Liberia.
January 30, 2003
Reuters: ’ÄúAustrians
Begin Voting, Outcome Wide Open.’Äù Article written on the day of
the 2002 elections forcecasts big losses for the Freedom Party of
Austria, which turned out to be accurate. November 24, 2002.
Elections to Puerto Rico's Legislative
Assembly: A brief description of the voting systems used
to elect the two houses of Puerto Rico's Legislative Assembly.
Full Representation and Proportionality in Puerto
Rico: Text and table analyzing the results of the
November 2000 Legislative Assembly election in terms of votes and
seats won by each party. Compares the proportionality of the single
non-transferable vote (SNTV) benches in the assembly to the single
member district plurality benches, and finds a dramatically higher
disproportionality in the plurality benches.
Race, class, and gender
issues
Africa
Recovery: "Women break into
African politics." April, 2004.
The Dong-A Ilbo: "New
Trend for General Election - Women Rule Over." This article
describes the current scramble by political parties to find women
candidates. The situation arose after all parties committed
themselves to allocating half of their full representation seats in
the legislature to women. January 27, 2004.
IPS News: "Insecurity
Threatens Newly-Won Women's Rights." The new constitution
for Afghanistan includes full representation provisions as well as
quotas for women representatives in the national legislature.
January 14, 2004.
The Telegraph: "Lost
opportunities in politics, public life and business." The
position of women in politics in England lags behind that of women
in the UK, including Scotland and Wales. The author points out
"positive action" that political parties in these
countries take in order to ensure greater participation of women in
government.
Korea Herald: ’ÄúA
gender-equal society.’Äù Editorial in favor of political and
economic reforms to help South Korean women, including raising the
required ratio of female candidates for the legislature. July 7,
2003.
Sunday Herald: ’ÄúMcConnell:
50% of councilors must be women.’Äù In addition to changing to
choice voting for local council elections in Scotland, First
Minister Jack McConnell and other Scottish Labor Party leaders
intend to reserve nearly half of the council seats for women. Most
local councilors in the Scottish Labour party are male. However, a
28-22 majority of the Members of the Scottish Parliament from the
Scottish Labour party are female. This is because the Scottish
Parliament already has a rule about dividing nominations for equally
winnable seats between men and women. June 1, 2003.
Australian Broadcasting Company
Online: ’ÄúNew
Zealand debates whether to scrap exclusive Maori Parliamentary
seats.’Äù Debate in New Zealand over whether to abolish the seats
in Parliament reserved for Maori members. Some have suggested that
New Zealand’Äôs Mixed Member Proportional system of full
representation should be able to provide fair representation for the
Maori people in itself. May 25, 2003.
Business Day (Johannesburg): ’ÄúMarginalised
Need Better Access to the Workings of Parliament .’Äù Discussing
the State of the Nation address, the author praises South Africa’Äôs
system of full representation (proportional representation), but
also feels that the government should go further in representing and
granting access to the people of South Africa. February 26,
2003.
Miscellaneous /
full representation in practice
The Asahi
Shimbun: ’ÄúLost
decade of politics
.’Äù Editorial discusses the state
of politics in Japan. August 9, 2003.
Sydney Morning
Herald: ’ÄúIdeas
to save our withering democracy.’Äù Candidate for presidency of
the Australian Labor Party presents a manifesto stating her beliefs about Australian politics and
democracy. She believes that full representation leads to higher turnout
and fewer wasted votes. August 7, 2003.
PM, Australia:
’ÄúHoward’Äôs
Senate plans .’Äù The Australian
Prime Minister has suggested a measure that would reduce the
powers of the Senate. August 11, 2003.
The Guardian:
’ÄúOne Nation leader in fraud case .’Äù Brief article about the
defeat of ex-Australian Member of Parliament Pauline Hanson, and her
disintegrating One Nation party. July 16, 2003.
U.TV: ’ÄúSinn Fein in plea over Senate elections .’Äù
The Sinn Fein party is advocating that the Irish Senate (the Seanad)
be directly elected by universal suffrage. July 15, 2003.
The Guardian: ’ÄúRegional
government around the world
.’Äù English author compares the local governments of Canada,
Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, and
Portugal. June 16, 2003.
The Age: ’ÄúSword
alleges ALP branch-stacking.’Äù
Australian Labor Party leader Greg Sword comes down on the practice of ’Äòbranch-stacking’Äô (insincerely stuffing local party branches
with members in order to gain control of them). The
Australian Workers Unions has made a proposal for
full representation (proportional representation) to be used for candidate selection
within the Labor party. March 5, 2003.
Economic and Social
Research Council: ’ÄúDevolution
remains popular despite problems with Good Friday Agreement.’Äù The Economic and Social Research
Council organized a conference on devolution in Northern Ireland.
Research was presented showing that many people in Ireland support devolution
over other options. Another paper was presented, arguing that a mixed member
proportional system based on instant runoff voting
might be preferable to choice voting. March 4, 2003.
The Western Mail
: ’ÄúRon Davies warns Labour of Plaid Victory
.’Äù Former Welsh Secretary states that the Labour party needs to
present an inspiring platform in order to
retain control of the Welsh Assembly. February 10, 2003.
Di-ve News: ’ÄúPro-EU alliance emerging .’Äù Article discusses
the possible formation of an
alliance between parties in Malta who are generally at odds
with each other, for the purpose of a campaign to enter the
European Union. January 8, 2003.
Sunday Times, South
Africa: ’ÄúANC
lashes out at IFP/DA on KZN poll.’Äù
Conflict between political parties in the KwaZulu-Natal region of
South Africa. Although the African National Congress party has a
strong majority nationwide, the Inkatha Freedom Party leads the
regional government in KwaZulu-Natal, and they have decided to call
for early elections there, drawing criticism from the
ANC. ’ÄúFloor-crossing,’Äù as used in the article, refers to a Member
of Parliament voting differently from the rest of their party.
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