ABSTRACT
Understood as the set of laws which regulate the articulation of voter preferences as votes and the translation of votes into political representation, the electoral system is arguably the most important constitutional choice of a democratic regime (Horowitz, 1991, p. 163; Lijphart, 1992, p. 207; Rae, 1967, p. 14). This is so because the choice of electoral system strongly influences whether a democracy will be majoritarian or consensual in orientation (Lijphart, 1992, p. 208). Specifically, whereas electoral systems in which the candidate with the largest share of the vote wins (i.e. ‘first-past-the-post,’ or FPP systems) promote majoritarianism, electoral systems which aim to translate votes into seats as proportionally as possible (i.e. ‘proportional representation,’ or PR systems) promote consensualism (power-sharing) (Lijphart 1992, p. 208; see also Lijphart, 1977; 1999). If majoritarian democracy is problematic in societies divided along religious, ideological, linguistic, cultural, ethnic or racial lines because of its potential to exclude minorities from power on a permanent basis, consensual democracy promises to represent all major segments of a society (Lijphart, 1977, ch 2; 1999, pp.32–33). PR is often lauded for serving this end of consensual democracy by bringing about a relatively accurate translation of the characteristics of a country’s electorate (Lijphart, 1985, p. 8; Reynolds ampentity Reilly, 1997, pp. 62–63). In countries where minority populations live in relatively compact enclaves, however, FPP systems may also provide fair representation, as "plurality does not disfavor geographically concentrated minorities” (Lijphart, 1996, p. 261; see also Duverger, 1954, p. 257; Rae, 1967, p. 95; Reynolds ampentity Reilly, 1997, pp. 30–31).
