No such representatives can not be reflection of people who voted them to the parliament beacuse they do not represent majoirty in many cases.
For example
If there are three contestants. One candidate gets 30,000 votes and wins the election while his rival candidates, the remaining two- get 20, 000 thousands each it means collectivly 40,000 votes were casted against the winner.
SO tell me how can you term him the representative of all or even of majority of the electorate???
democracy just another bluff to fool and rule the people the only difference is its a suger-quoted pill
Jana,
I am acquainted with you in the cyberspace and once telephonically for a long time.
I keep advising you to read and increase your knowledge since a Journalist has to have immense knowledge to spin, if that is what one wants to do, or report factually.
Types of Government
democracy, autocracy, oligarchy, monarchy, and dictatorship
In a democracy, the government is elected by the people. Everyone who is eligible to vote has a chance to have their say over who runs the country. It is distinct from governments controlled by a particular social class or group (aristocracy; oligarchy) or by a single person (despotism; dictatorship; monarchy).
A democracy is determined either directly or through elected representatives
Autocracy. Government by a single person having unlimited power; despotism (domination through threat of punishment and violence) .
Oligarchy. A government in which a few people such as a dominant clan or clique have power.
Monarchy. A monarchy has a king, queen, emperor or empress. The ruling position can be passed on to the ruler’s heirs. In some traditional monarchies, the monarch has absolute power. But a constitutional monarchy, like the UK, also has a democratic government that limits the monarch's control.
Dictatorship. A country ruled by a single leader. The leader has not been elected and may use force to keep control. In a military dictatorship, the army is in control.
Anarchy. Anarchy is a situation where there is no government. This can happen after a civil war in a country, when a government has been destroyed and rival groups are fighting to take its place. Anarchists are people who believe that government is a bad thing in that it stops people organizing their own lives.
Capitalist. In a capitalist or free-market country, people can own their own businesses and property. People can also buy services for private use, such as healthcare. But most capitalist governments also provide their own education, health and welfare services.
Communist. In a communist country, the government owns property such as businesses and farms. It provides its people's healthcare, education and welfare.
Republic. A republic is a country that has no monarch. The head of the country is usually an elected president.
Revolutionary. If a government is overthrown by force, the new ruling group is sometimes called a revolutionary government.
Totalitarian. This is a country with only one political party. People are forced to do what the government tells them and may also be prevented from leaving the country.
Types of Electoral Systems
There are countless electoral system variations, but they can be grouped into three broad families:
* Majority systems
* Proportional representation systems
* Semi-proportional representation systems.
Majority systems
The main feature of majority systems is that they usually have single-member electorates.
First past the post voting (FPP)
This system of vote counting is the simplest - the voter only votes for one candidate and whoever gets the highest number of votes is elected. It is the easiest vote counting system to calculate results. The winning candidate is the one who gains more votes than any other candidate, but not necessarily an absolute majority (50% + 1).
FPP was used in NSW until 1910 and is still used for polls, referendums and some statutory elections. FPP is used in the United Kingdom, Canada, India, the United States and many other countries.
Preferential voting (PV)
PV is usually used in single-member districts and gives electors more options than FPP when marking their ballot paper. Electors must rank all candidates by placing the number ‘1’ for their preferred candidate and consecutive numbers from ‘2’ for their 2nd choice, ‘3’ for their 3rd choice and so on until all candidates are numbered. A candidate who has an absolute majority of votes (50% + 1) is immediately elected.
If no candidate has an absolute majority, the candidate with the lowest number of 1st preferences is eliminated, and their ballot papers are examined for 2nd preferences to be assigned to remaining candidates in the order as marked. The totals are then checked and this process is repeated until one candidate has an absolute majority.
PV is used in the Australian federal House of Representatives and in some state Legislative Assemblies. PV is also used in Nauru.
Optional preferential voting (OPV)
In OPV electors place the number ‘1’ for their preferred candidate and this is enough for a valid vote. They may continue numbering candidates in order of their preference to the extent they choose. All candidates do not have to be ranked.
NSW uses OPV for the election of representatives in the Legislative Assembly (Lower House) and in local government areas/wards for mayoral elections and when one or two vacancies are to be filled.
Block vote (BV)
When the FPP system is used in multi-member electorates where electors have as many votes as there are seats to be filled it is known as the BV. Once a candidate is elected, all ballot papers are returned to the count to elect the next member. The highest-polling candidates fill the positions regardless of the percentage of the votes they actually receive.
The BV is used in Bermuda, Laos, Thailand, Kuwait, the Philippines and other countries.
Two round system (TRS)
The TRS is conducted in the same way as an FPP election and if a candidate receives an absolute majority of votes, they are elected. If no candidate receives an absolute majority a second round of voting is conducted, often a week or two later and the winner of this round is declared elected. The 2nd round may be a contest between the two biggest vote winners (the Ukraine) or those who receive over a certain percentage of the votes of the registered electorate (France).
The TRS is used in countries such as France, Mali, Togo, Egypt, Iran, Belarus and Ukraine.
Pakistan and India follows the first passed past the post!
Proportional representation (PR) systems
PR can only be used in multi-member electorates. Candidates are elected in proportion to the number of votes they receive which increases the chances of representation for small minority parties.
The proportion of seats won by each group or party should equal the proportion of votes cast for those groups or parties. For example, if a party wins 40% of the votes, it should win about 40% of the seats and if a party gets 10% of the votes it should gain 10% of the seats.
In some jurisdictions group voting squares are used. Electors may number group voting squares in order of preference 'above the line' on the ballot paper. This records a vote for the first candidate in the group with preferences going to the other candidates in the order in which they are listed and then to the next group if indicated. The alternative is marking squares 'below the line' in order of preference for individual candidates.
PR is used in Australia for the:
* NSW local government elections where three or more vacancies exist in an area/ward
* Legislative Councils (Upper Houses) of NSW, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia
* Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly
* Lower House of Tasmania
* the Australian Senate.
PR is widely used in South America and Western Europe, and makes up about one-third of all systems in Africa.
List proportional representation (List PR)
Most PR systems use some form of List PR. List PR is used in multi-member electorates where votes are cast in order of preference for the parties which have registered a list of candidates. Parties receive seats in proportion to their overall share of the total vote and winning candidates are taken from the lists in order of their position.
Mixed member proportional (MMP)
MMP systems try to combine the elements of majority and PR systems. A proportion of the parliament is elected by majority methods, usually from single-member electorates, while the remainder come from PR Lists.
Under MMP systems, the List PR seats compensate for any disproportions produced by the district seat results. For example, if one party wins 10% of the national votes but no district seats, they would be awarded enough seats from the PR lists to bring their representation up to around 10% of the parliament.
MMP is used in countries such as Germany, New Zealand, Italy and Venezuela.
The single transferable vote (STV)
The STV system is used in multi-member districts with electors ranking candidates in order of preference on the ballot paper as in PV. Preference marking is usually optional where electors can mark as many candidates as they choose. After the total number of 1st preference votes is added up, the count begins by establishing the quota of votes needed for the election of a single candidate. The quota calculation is:
Quota = votes + 1
number of vacancies + 1
The 1st stage determines the total number of 1st preference votes per candidate. Any candidate who has more 1st preferences than the quota is immediately elected. Their surplus votes are redistributed at a fractional percentage of one vote, so that the total redistributed votes equals the candidate’s surplus. For example, if a candidate had 100 votes, and their surplus was ten, each ballot paper would be redistributed at one-tenth of a vote.
If no one has achieved the quota, the candidate with the lowest number of 1st preferences is eliminated, with their 2nd preferences redistributed to the candidates left in the race. This process continues until all seats are filled.
All Australian PR systems use the STV, although the South Australian, Victorian, Western Australian and NSW Upper Houses and the federal Senate may be thought of as semi-list systems as the ballot paper also provides for group voting above the line or in the case of Western Australia left and right of the line.
STV is used for national parliamentary elections in Ireland, Malta and Estonia.
Semi-proportional systems
Semi-PR systems are a cross between proportional representation (PR) and majority systems. There are two main types:
* the single non transferable vote
* parallel systems.
Single non-transferable vote (SNTV)
In SNTV systems, each elector has one vote but there are several seats in the district to be filled. The candidates with the highest number of votes fill these positions. For example, In a 4-member district a candidate needs just over 20% of the vote to be elected.
The main difference between SNTV and majority systems is that the SNTV makes it easier for minority parties to be represented. The larger the number of seats in the constituency, the more proportional the system becomes.
The SNTV system is used for parliamentary elections in countries such as Jordan, Taiwan and Vanuatu.
Parallel systems
Parallel systems use both PR lists and majority (“winner takes all”
methods but, unlike MMP systems, the PR lists do not compensate for any disproportions within the majority districts.
Parallel systems are used in around 20 countries including Croatia, Japan and Russia.