LSM examines whether Latvia should change its election system

Latvia has no perfect electoral system, and political parties once again are debating whether changes are needed ahead of elections to the Saeima, the country’s parliament, LSM reported.

Each electoral system has advantages and disadvantages, while the way mandates are calculated and the extent to which voters can influence the result also vary. A system suitable for one country may not work for another because societies differ in their historical, political, cultural and ethnic circumstances.

There are three main types of electoral system: majoritarian, proportional and mixed.

Majoritarian system

Under a majoritarian system, elections are held in single-member constituencies. Voters choose individual candidates, and the candidate who wins a majority or the largest number of votes is elected. The system is used, with variations, in the United States, France and the United Kingdom. No country in the Baltic Sea region uses this system.

Its advantages include more precise representation of views, a stronger personal role for candidates and closer links between voters and members of parliament.

Its disadvantages include the lack of parliamentary representation for voters whose candidate loses, which can leave a large share of voters without their own representative. The system also tends to produce a two-party system and creates opportunities for manipulation through changes to constituency boundaries and the allocation of residents among constituencies, according to a report by the Saeima Analytical Service.

Proportional system

Under a proportional system, voters cast ballots in multi-member constituencies for a party or a list of candidates. The number of mandates each party receives depends on its level of voter support. A threshold for entering parliament may exist, but it is not mandatory; Finland is cited as an example without such a threshold.

The proportional system dominates in Europe and the Baltic Sea region, including Latvia and Estonia.