How People Vote Around the World
Karen Taggart
In the international wave of democratization and electoral reform in the last decade, it is not always easy to determine what method of election is used in various democraries. Indeed, the major media in the United States rarely reports on this fundamental component of a democtacy that has great bearing on how to interpret a country’s elections.
Following is a list of the methods of election used in the world’s nations. For definitions of terms and for a description of sources, please see the end of this aricle.
| Africa | |
|---|---|
| Algeria | Majority, SMD (1991) |
| Angola | semi-PR: List |
| Benin | PR: List |
| Botswana | Plurality, SMD; with set-asides |
| Burkina Faso | PR: List |
| Burundi | PR: List |
| Cameroon | Mixed |
| Cape Verde | PR: List (with three SMDs) |
| Central African Republic | PR: List |
| Chad | No elections |
| Comoros | Majority, SMD |
| Congo | Majority, SMD |
| Cote D’Ivoire | Plurality, SMD and MMD |
| Djibouti | PR: List |
| Egypt | Majority (w/conditions), MMD |
| Equatorial Guinea | PR: List |
| Eritrea | In transition |
| Gabon | Majority, SMD |
| Gambia | Plurality, SMD; with set-asides |
| Ghana | Plurality, SMD |
| Guinea | Mixed |
| Guinea-Bissau | ?? |
| Kenya | Plurality, SMD |
| Lesotho | Plurality, SMD |
| Liberia | No elections |
| Libya | "People's congresses" |
| Madagascar | PR: List |
| Malawi | Plurality, SMD; with set-asides |
| Maldives | Plurality, MMD |
| Mali | Majority, SMD and MMD |
| Mauritania | Majority, SMD and MMD |
| Mauritius | Plurality, MMD; with set-asides |
| Morocco | Plurality, SMD |
| Mozambique | PR: List |
| Namibia | PR: List |
| Niger | PR: List (coup in July 1994) |
| Nigeria | Plurality, SMD |
| Rwanda | Plurality, SMD |
| Sao Tome and Principe | PR: List |
| Senegal | Mixed |
| Seychelles | Plurality, SMD; with set-asides |
| Sierra Leone | No elections |
| Somalia | In transition |
| South Africa | PR: List (1994) |
| Sudan | No elections |
| Swaziland | Majority |
| Tanzania | Plurality, SMD; with set-asides |
| Togo | ?? |
| Tunisia | PR: List |
| Uganda | Plurality, SMD; with set-asides |
| Zaire | No elections |
| Zambia | Plurality, SMD; with set-asides |
| Zimbabwe | Plurality, SMD; with set-asides |
| Americas | |
| Argentina | PR: List |
| Belize | Plurality, SMD |
| Bolivia | PR: List |
| Brazil | PR: List |
| Canada | Plurality, SMD |
| Chile | PR: List |
| Columbia | PR: List |
| Costa Rica | PR: List |
| Ecuador | PR: List |
| El Salvador | PR: List |
| Guatemala | PR: List |
| Guyana | PR: List |
| Honduras | PR: List |
| Mexico | Mixed |
| Nicaragua | PR: List |
| Panama | Mixed |
| Paraguay | PR: List |
| Peru | PR: List |
| Portugal | PR: List |
| Suriname | PR: List |
| United States | Plurality, SMD |
| Uruguay | PR: List |
| Venezuela | PR: Mixed Member |
| Caribbean | |
| Antigua and Barbuda | Plurality, SMD |
| Bahamas | Plurality, SMD |
| Barbados | Plurality, SMD |
| Cuba | Plurality, SMD (one party) |
| Dominica | Plurality, SMD; with set-asides |
| Dominican Republic | PR: List |
| Grenada | Plurality, SMD |
| Haiti | Majority, SMD |
| Jamaica | Plurality, SMD |
| St. Kits and Nevis | Plurality, SMD |
| St. Lucia | Plurality, SMD |
| St. Vincent & Grenadines | Plurality, SMD; with set-asides |
| Trinidad and Tobago | Plurality, SMD |
| Europe | |
| Albania | Mixed |
| Andora | PR: List |
| Austria | PR: List |
| Belarus | Majority, SMD; with set-asides |
| Belgium | PR: List |
| Bosnia and Hercegovina | No elections |
| Bulgaria | PR: List |
| Croatia | Mixed |
| Czech Republic | PR: List |
| Denmark | PR: List |
| Estonia | PR: List |
| Finland | PR: List |
| France | Majority, SMD |
| Germany | PR: Mixed Member |
| Greece | PR: List |
| Hungary | Mixed |
| Iceland | PR: List |
| Ireland | Preference |
| Italy | Mixed |
| Latvia | PR: List |
| Liechtenstein | PR: List |
| Lithuania | Mixed |
| Luxembourg | PR: List |
| Macedonia | Majority, SMD |
| Malta | Preference Voting (Chioce Voting) |
| Moldova | Majority, SMD |
| Monaco | PR: List |
| Netherlands | PR: List |
| Norway | PR: List |
| Poland | PR: List |
| Romania | PR: List |
| Russia | Mixed |
| San Marino | PR: List |
| Slovakia | PR: List |
| Slovenia | PR: List |
| Spain | PR: List |
| Sweden | PR: List |
| Switzerland | PR: List |
| Turkey | PR: List |
| Ukraine | Majority, SMD |
| United Kingdom | Plurality, SMD |
| Yugoslavia | Mixed |
| Asia | |
| Afghanistan | No elections |
| Armenia | No elections (June, 1995) |
| Azerbaijan | Plurality, SMD |
| Bahrain | No elections |
| Bangladesh | Plurality, SMD; with set-asides |
| Bhutan | Plurality, SMD; with set-asides |
| Brunei Darussalam | No elections (??) |
| Cambodia | semi-PR: List |
| China | Single non-transferable majority |
| Cyprus | PR: List |
| Northern Cyprus | ?? |
| Georgia | PR: List |
| India | Plurality, SMD; with set-asides |
| Indonesia | PR: List |
| Iran | Majority, SMD and MMD; with set-asides |
| Iraq | Majority, MMD |
| Israel | PR: List |
| Japan | Mixed (1995) |
| Jordan | Plurality, SMD |
| Kazakhstan | Plurality, SMD and MMD |
| Korea, North | Plurality, SMD |
| Korea, South | Mixed |
| Kuwait | Plurality, MMD |
| Kyrgystan | Plurality, SMD |
| Laos | PR: List |
| Lebanon | Plurality, MMD |
| Malaysia | Plurality, SMD |
| Mongolia | Plurality, MMD |
| Myanmar | Plurality, SMD |
| Nepal | Plurality, MMD |
| Oman | No elections |
| Pakistan | Plurality, SMD; with set-asides |
| Philipines | Majority, MMD; with set-asides |
| Qatar | No elections |
| Saudi Arabia | No elections |
| Singapore | Plurality, SMD and MMD |
| Sri Lanka | PR: List |
| Syria | PR: List |
| Taiwan | semi-PR: mix of Single Non-Transferable and List |
| Tajikstan | Majority, SMD?? |
| Thailand | Plurality, MMD |
| Turkey | PR: List |
| Turkmenistan | Majority or plurality, MMD?? |
| United Arab Emirates | No elections |
| Uzbekistan | Plurality, SMD |
| Vietnam | Majority, MMD |
| Yemen (Republic of Yemen) | Plurality, SMD |
| Australia / New Zealand and the Pacific Islands | |
| Australia | Majority Preference, SMD; (preference with MMD for Senate) |
| Fiji | Plurality, SMD |
| Kiribati | Majority, SMD and MMD |
| Marshall Islands | Plurality, SMD and MMD |
| Micronesia | Plurality, SMD |
| Nauru | Majority preference, MMD |
| New Zealand | PR: Mixed Member (1996) |
| Papua New Guinea | Plurality, SMD |
| Samoa | Plurality, SMD; with set-asides |
| Solomon Islands | Plurality, SMD |
| Tonga | Plurality, SMD/MMD; with set-asides |
| Tuvalu | Plurality, SMD; with set-asides |
| Vanuatu | Plurality, MMD |
| Key |
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