ELECTION AND REPRESENTATION
Introduction :
• The outcome of the election depends on the rules we have
adopted .
We need some machinery to conduct the elections in an impartial
manner .
Since these two decisions need to be taken before the game of
electoral politics can begin , these cannot be left to any government
.
That is why these basic decisions about elections are written down
in the constitution of a democratic country .
Elections and Democracy :
Can we have democracy without holding elections ?
This question reminds us of the necessity of representation in a
large democracy .
All citizens cannot take direct part in making every decision .
Therefore , representatives are elected by the people .
This is how elections become important .
ELECTIONS HAVE TODAY BECOME THE MOST VISIBLE SYMBOL OF
THE DEMOCRATIC PROCESS .
Direct Democracy :
A direct democracy is one where the citizens directly participate In the day-to-day
decision making and in the running of The government .
The ancient city-states in Greece were considered examples of Direct democracy .
Many would consider local governments , especially gram Sabhas , to Be the closest
examples of direct democracy .
BUT THIS KIND OF DIRECT DEMOCRACY CANNOT BE PRACTICED
WHEN A DECISION HAS TO BE TAKEN BY L AKHS AND CRORES OF
PEOPLE .
Indirect Democracy :
In densely populated countries , citizens choose their representatives who, in turn , are
actively involved in governing and administering the country .
The method followed to choose these representatives is referred to as an election .
Thus the citizens have a limited role in taking major decisions and in running the
administration .
They are not very actively involved in making of the policies .
IN THIS ARRANGEMENT , WHERE ALL MAJOR DECISIONS ARE TAKEN
BY ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES , THE METHOD BY WHICH PEOPLE
ELECT THEIR REPRESENTATIVES BECOMES VERY IMPORTANT .
Can we hold elections without having democracy ?
This question reminds us of the fact that not all elections are democratic .
A large number of non democratic countries also hold elections .
- In fact non – democratic rulers are very keen to present themselves as
democratic .
They do so by holding election in such a way that it does not threaten their rule.
What do you think would distinguish a democratic from a non - democratic
election ?
What can be done to ensure that elections in a country would be conducted in
a democratic way ?
This is where constitution comes in. The constitution of a democratic country lays down some
basic rules about elections .
The details are usually left to be worked out by laws passed by the Legislature .
The basic rules mentioned in constitution :
Who is eligible to vote ?
Who is eligible to contest ?
Who is to supervise elections ?
How do the voters choose their representatives ?
How are the votes to be counted and representatives elected ?
LIKE MOST DEMOCRATIC CONSTITUTIONS , THE CONSTITUTION OF
INDIA ANSWERS ALL THESE QUESTIONS .
Election System in India :
Different system have different outcomes :
E.g. : First past the post system and Proportional Representation.
1. First Past the Post System : Under this system :
The entire country is divided into 543 constituencies .
Each constituency elects one representative .
The candidate who secure the highest number of votes in that constituency is declared
elected .
It is important to note that in this system whoever has more votes than all other
candidates , is declared elected .
The winning candidate need not secure a majority of the votes .
In the electoral race , The candidate who is ahead of others ,
Who crosses the winning post first of all , is the winner .
THIS METHOD IS ALSO CALLED THE PLURALITY SYSTEM
Example : The Congress party won greater share of seats than its share of votes because in many
of the Constituencies in which its candidates won , they secured Less than 50% of the votes .
If there are several candidates , The winning candidate often gets Much less than 50% of
the votes .
The votes that go to all the losing candidates go ‘Waste.’
Example :
Suppose a party gets only 25% of the votes in every constituency , But everyone else gets
even less votes .
In that case , the party could win all the seats with only 25% votes or even less.
2. Proportional Representation:
Whole country as The country is divided into:
Whole country as a single constituency
The country is divided into several multi – Members constituencies
In this system :
NUMBER OF SEATS ∝ NUMBER OF VOTES
Whole country as a single constituency :
Examples: Israel, Netherlands
Each party fills its quota of seats by their candidates in proportion to the votes recieved.
The country is divided into several multi – Members constituencies :
Examples: Argentina and Portugal .
Each party prepares a list of candidates for each constituency .
Proportional Representation in Israel :
Elections to the legislature ( Knesset) take place every four years .
Every party declares a list of its candidates , but voters vote for the party and not for the
candidates .
Every party gets seats in the legislature in proportion to the votes polled by it .
This allows even smaller parties with every small support base to get representation in the
legislature
A party must get a minimum of 1.5% votes in order to be eligible to get seats in the
legislature
This often leads to a multi –Party coalition government .
