Democracy Electoral System 101
First-Past-The-Post (FPTP) and Proportional Representation (PR) stand as the two big approaches
29 May 2029 is the South African general election day. This is a reminder that democracies have different electoral systems. In electoral systems, First-Past-The-Post (FPTP) and Proportional Representation (PR) stand as the two big approaches, each shaping the political landscape in distinct ways. FPTP, characterized by its simplicity, operates on a winner-takes-all basis within single-member constituencies, often leading to a two-party dominance and majority governments. This system, while straightforward, is a big driver of distorted representation relative to the actual vote share. Smaller parties are sidelined in favor of the big dogs (i.e. USA).
On the other hand, PR aims to closely align the distribution of seats in the legislature with the proportion of votes received by each party (that's South Africa). This typically results in a more diverse political spectrum, encouraging multi-party systems and often necessitating coalition governments (look at Europe). While sometimes less stable, it offers a more comprehensive representation of the electorate's preferences.