Transcript Electoral Systems and Elections

The Structure of the Political Process
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Members of Parliament (MPs) are the only national
officials that British voters select
Elections must be held at least every 5 years, but
Prime Minister may call them earlier
Officially elections occur after the Crown dissolves
Parliament, but that always happens after the Prime
Minister requests it
Power to call elections very important – the Prime
Minister always calls elections when they think that
the majority party has the best chance to win
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“Winner-take-all” system
Single-member district plurality system
Each party selects a candidate to run for each
district
“First-past-the-post” winner
MPs do not have to live in the district in which they
are running, therefore party selects who runs in
what districts
Party leaders run from safe districts – or districts
that the party almost always wins
Political neophytes are selected to run in districts
the party know it will lose
They are usually happy just to receive more votes
than the party usually gets in that district
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Conservative Party
◦ Middle and upper classes
◦ Educated
◦ Residents of England, mostly rural and suburban areas
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Labour Party
◦ Traditionally supported by working class
◦ Residents of urban and industrial areas (Manchester,
Liverpool, Newcastle)
◦ “Third Way” centrist policies have made Labour Party
appealing to Scots, Welsh, and the poor
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Prime Minister
◦ “First among equals”
◦ Member of Parliament and
Leader of majority party
◦ Speaks legitimately for all
Members of Parliament
◦ Chooses cabinet ministers
and important subordinate
posts
◦ Makes decisions in cabinet,
with agreement of ministers
◦ Campaigns for and
represents the party in
parliamentary elections
◦ Shapes cabinet decisions
into policy
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Cabinet
◦ Collective cabinet is the
center of policy-making in
the British political system
◦ As leaders of majority party
elected by the people, they
take “collective
responsibility” for making
the policy of the country
Party
House of Commons
that receives the majority of the plurality of the
votes becomes the Majority Party in Parliament, also
known as “the Government” party with the second most
votes becomes the “loyal opposition”
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House of Commons set-up with long benches facing each
other
Prime Minister sits on front bench of majority side, directly in
the middle
Directly across from the PM sits the leader of the “opposition”
party
Between members of the majority and opposition parties is a
long table
Cabinet members sit on the front rows of the majority party
side
“Shadow Cabinet” – influential members of the opposition
party sit facing Cabinet members of majority party on the
opposing side
Backbenchers – less influential members of both parties sit in
the rear benches on both sides of the meeting hall as well
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“Government” – consists of MPs on the first rows of the
majority party side, they are majority party members,
including the PM, that are most influential in making policy
Question Time/Question Hour – the hour the prime minister
and his cabinet must defend themselves from inquisitive
attacks from the opposition party as well as direct inquiry
from members of his/her own party
Speaker of the House – presides over the debates in
Parliament, the speaker is suppose to be objective and often
is not a member of the majority party. Their job is to let all
speak without letting the debate get out of hand.
Because of a lack of checks & balances between branches in
British politics the opposition party is seen as the “check” on
the majority party within Parliament, this “check” power is
best utilized during times of debate over policy
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Party discipline very important in British politics
If party members do not support their party
leadership, the “government” may fall into crisis
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Vote of Confidence
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◦ Vote on a key issue within the party
◦ If the issue is not supported, the cabinet by tradition must
resign immediately, and new elections for MPs must be held
as soon as possible
◦ This is usually avoided by settling policy differences within
majority party membership
◦ If the party loses a vote of confidence, all MPs lose their
jobs, so there is plenty of motivation to vote the party line
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Only hereditary parliamentary house in existence today
◦ Hereditary peers: hold seats that have been passed down through
family ties over the centuries
◦ Life peers: people appointed to nonhereditary positions as a result
of distinguished service to Britain
Lords have gradually declined in authority over last 4 centuries
Since the beginning of the 20th century the House of Lords’ only
powers are:
◦ To delay legislation
◦ To debate technicalities of proposed bills
◦ Lords may add amendments to legislation, but House of
Commons may delete their changes by a simple majority vote
◦ The House of Lords includes five law lords who serve as Britain’s
highest court of appeals, but they cannot rule acts of Parliament
unconstitutional
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Citizens in Mexico directly elect the president, Chamber of Deputy
Representatives, and Senators as well as most local & state officials
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Elections are generally competitive, specifically in urban areas
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Members of congress elected through dual system of “first-past-the-post”
and proportional representation
 Proportional representation was increased in a major reform law in 1986, a change
that gave power to political parties that challenged PRI control
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Each of Mexico’s 31 states elects three senators, 2 are determined by
majority vote, the other is determined by whichever party receives the second
highest number of votes
32 senate seats are determined nationally through a system of proportional
representation that divides the seats according to the number of votes cast
for each party (128 Senate seats in total)
In the Chamber of Deputies, 300 seats are determined by plurality within
single-member districts, and 200 are chosen by proportional representation
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PAN/PRD candidate Vicente Fox won presidency (43% of the vote compared
to 36% garnered for PRI candidate Francisco Labastida)
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PAN captured 208 of 500 deputies in lower house
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PRI captured 209 deputy seats in the lower house
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PAN won 46 senate seats; PRI won 60 senate seats
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New, competitive election system has encouraged coalitions to form to the
right & left of the PRI
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Split in votes has encourage gridlock, phenomenon unknown to Mexico
under the old PRI-controlled governments
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Election of 2006 – closely contested election, won by PAN candidate Felipe
Calderon by narrow margin over PRD candidate Andres Lopez Obrador
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Center of policy-making
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Sexenio: non-renewable six-year term (Under PRI similar to dictator)
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Until mid-1970s Mexican presidents were above criticism and people revered
them as symbols of national progress and well-being
 Selected successor
 Appointed officials to all positions of power in the government
 Named PRI candidates for other public offices
 Managed huge patronage system
 Control over “rubber-stamp” Congress
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President Ernesto Zedillo (1994-2000) –relinquished number of traditional
powers of the president, including naming the PRI candidate for the 2000
election
President Fox inherited the presidency in a time of transition
 President still viewed as all powerful, but blamed for shortcomings
 Harder for Fox to accomplish political goals without strong party support in the
post-PRI Congress
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Bicameral
 Chamber of Deputies (500-member)
 300 deputies from single-member districts (plurality)
 200 deputies chosen by proportional representation
 Senate (128-member)
 3 senators from each of the 31 states & the federal district(96)
 Remaining 32 selected by proportional representation
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All legislators directly elected
Until 1980s legislature remained under strict control of the
president
PRI’s lost hold on legislature earlier than it did on the
presidency
Lost majority in the Chamber of Deputies in 1997
Women in both houses has risen significantly since 1996
election law required parties to sponsor female candidates
 Parties must run at least 30% female candidates for proportional
representation and single-member district elections
 113 of 500 deputies in Chamber are female
 20 of 128 Senators are also female
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PAN candidate Felipe Calderon secured 35.9% of the vote
PRD candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador received 35.3% of the vote
PRI candidate Roberto Madrazo received 22% of the vote
The extremely close election was contested by PRD candidate AMLO, but
was quickly confirmed and approved by the Federal Electoral Institute
Despite a brief period of protest from PRD supporters, Calderon was
sworn in as president
Elections were also held for the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate in
2006
500 members are elected every three years (300 by the first-past-thepost system and 200 by proportional representation) to serve for a
three-year term in the Chamber of Deputies.
128 members (three per state by first-past-the-post and 32 by
proportional representation from national party lists) to serve six-year
terms in the Senate. In each state, two first-past-the-post seats are
allocated to the party with the largest share of the vote, and the
remaining seat is given to the first runner-up
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300 "majority deputies" are directly elected by plurality from
single-member districts (Federal Electoral Districts).
The remaining 200 "party deputies" are assigned through
proportional representation. These seats are not tied to districts;
rather, they are allocated to parties based on each party's share
of the national vote.
The 200 party deputies are intended to counterbalance the
sectional interests of the district-based representatives.
The Chamber of Deputies is completely replaced every three
years since all seats are subject to reelection and deputies are
not permitted to serve consecutive terms.
Congressional elections held halfway into the president's six year
mandate are known as mid-term elections.
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The PRI regained control of the Chamber of
Deputies by receiving 36.7% of the popular vote
and securing 241 seats (48% of seats)
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The PAN received 28% of the vote and 147 seats
(29% of the seats)
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The PRD received 12% of the vote and 72 seats
(14% of the seats)
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The PRI netted a gain of 135 seats from the
previous legislative session and the PAN & PRD
each lost over 50 seats
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Citizens vote for candidates on 3 levels: local, state, and national.
National level citizens vote for the president, representatives to
the National Assembly, and senators from their states.
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National Elections
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 Presidential Elections
 After annulled election of 1993, first election took place in 1999,
with another in 2003.
 If presidential candidate does not receive outright majority, a
second ballot election takes place.
 President must receive at least 25% of the votes in 2/3 of the
states
 A purely regional candidate can not win
 Requirement reflects difficulty experienced in attempt to unify
Nigeria
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Legislative Elections (National Assembly)
 Senate has 109 senators, 3 from each of the 36 states, and
one from federal capital territory of Abuja
 Elected by direct popular vote
 360 representatives of the House of Representatives
 Elected from single member districts by plurality vote
 Regional representation dominates in both houses.
 Wide-array of ethnic coalitions in legislature
 Legislative authority is weak in Nigeria
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Currently 3 consecutive elections have been held without
annulment or delay
Public protest and several deaths have accompanied the last few
elections, but none were as bad as many predicted they would be
Several politicians were assassinated, including Marshall Harry, a
leader of the ANPP
◦ Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)
 Attempted to cleanse electoral process, declared six million names to
be fraudulent during 2003 elections
 International teams concluded elections were corrupt
 Voting boxes were stolen, vandalized, and stuffed with fraudulent
votes
 Voting patterns in the south in particular were suspicious
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2007 elections included the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) & the All Nigeria
People’s Party (ANPP), but the Alliance for Democracy Party merged with
several smaller parties to form the New Action Congress
The PDP received 70% of the votes in the presidential election – Umaru
Yar’Adua was victorious
Yar’Adua’s election represents the first civilian to civilian transfer of power in
Nigerian history as Yar’Adua took over for Obasanjo
It was not without controversy however, as Yar’Adua was relatively unknown
and only received his party’s nomination after Obasanjo forced all
challengers to step down
This was after the Nigerian Senate had denied Obasanjo the chance to run for
a third term by rejecting his constitutional amendment in 2006 to extend
term limits
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The PDP achieved a strong majority in both
chambers of the legislature
PDP won 77% of the seats in the Senate
PDP won 72% of the seats in the House of
Representatives
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CCP has effective veto power over the election process. It controls the
commissions that run elections and it reviews the lists of proposed
candidates
Direct elections and indirect elections
Direct election turnout is heavy (over 90%)
All citizens over 18 may vote
Since the 1980s there have been multiple candidates on the ballot
(before the only protest vote was to abstain)
Independent candidates have beaten the CCP endorsed candidates (but
they have to be approved by the CCP to be put on the ballot in the first
place)
The most democratic advances in elections have occurred in rural
villages where multi-candidate, secret ballot elections are the norm
(although still monitored closely by the CCP)
The CCP says that multiparty elections would not work well in China
because of the country’s low level of education and economic
development, and its poor communication system. ( There’s also the
fear of losing power, chaos, and potential civil war that could be
ignited)
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3 types
◦ Referendum
◦ Duma Elections
◦ Presidential Elections
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Founded in April 2001
Merger between “Fatherland All-Russia” Party and
the “United Party of Russia”
◦ United Party put together by oligarch Boris Berezovsky and
other entrepreneurs to support Putin in the election of
2000
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Merger put even more political support behind
Putin
United Russia won 221 of the 450 Duma seats in
2004 elections
Putin won re-election in 2004 as the United Russia
candidate
United Russia is hard to define other than that it is
pro-Putin
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As a result of Putin’s legislative reform initiative of 2005 all 450 Duma seats
would now be based on proportional representation
The minimum threshold for a party to receive seats was raised from 5% to 7%
in an attempt to minimize the political influence of small parties and
promote United Russia domination in the legislature
The “against all” option was also removed from the ballot
Only officially registered parties were allowed to compete and two or more
parties were not allowed to form coalitions in order to clear the 7% threshold
United Russia won 315 seats on 64% of the popular vote, this represent a net
gain of 92 seats in the Duma from the 2003 elections
The Communist Party of the Russian Federation and the Liberal Democratic
Party of Russia finished second and third respectively by securing 57 and 40
seats each.
Fair Russia was the only other party to clear the 7% voter threshold
In 2008, United Russia made it a clean sweep when their candidate, Dmitri
Medvedev won the presidential election by receiving 70% of the votes
Putin currently serves as Medvedev’s prime minister