Introduction to Comparative Politics Short Assignment
Elections take place in the real world, and therefore the choice of an electoral system, to some extent, depends on the cost as well as administrative capacities of the countries involved. Even though donor countries usually give considerable financial help for the first and also the subsequent elections in countries transitioning to democracy, such support might not be available in the long run even if it were possible. For a country to have a sustainable political framework, it is essential to consider the existing resources, including the availability of skilled people to administer elections as well as the financial demands that the election has on the national budget.
Proportional representation (PR) system is the design that would be recommended for a country that is transitioning to democracy. PR systems consciously translate the vote share of a party into the corresponding number of seats in the legislature (Reynolds et al., 2008). In some countries, the whole nation becomes one multi-member district, while in other countries, provinces form electoral districts. Besides, there are countries where electoral management bodies/boards define electoral districts based on acceptable sizes (Reynolds et al., 2008). PR systems are standard in new democracies and remain dominant in Africa, Latin America, and Europe.
One advantage of PR systems is that it produces a representative legislature, which is critical in countries that experienced deep divisions. The inclusion of significant groups in the government is an almost-essential condition for consolidating democracy (Reynolds et al., 2008). Failing to include majority and minority groups in the political system can be catastrophic for a country that is just transitioning to democracy.
Also, PR systems faithfully translate votes cast into electoral seats that are eventually won. Therefore, the more destabilizing as well as unfair results in a plurality electoral and majority electoral systems are avoided (Reynolds et al., 2008). Besides, seat bonuses that are accorded larger parties are minimized as small parties access legislature even with small numbers of votes polled.
Moreover, PR systems support the formation of political parties of parties for candidates with similar ideologies and persuasions. In this way, clarification of policy, ideology, and leadership becomes easy in society, particularly in countries without established party systems (Reynolds et al., 2008). Importantly, PR systems facilitate representation by minority parties. However, where there is an unduly high threshold or districts with low magnitude, any political party with any number of votes, regardless of how low they are, can be represented in the legislature. Essentially, this fulfills the inclusion principle, which is critical in societies that are divided and benefits decision-makers in developed societies. Other advantages include encouraging party campaigns beyond the areas where they are strong, increases the visibility of power-sharing, limits the growth of regional fiefdoms, and promote policy stability.
Semi-presidential systems are the most appropriate government for countries transitioning to democracy: this model both dual executive and semi-parliamentary systems, and a hybrid system of presidential and parliamentary. Besides, the model has a president who heads the state after being elected by the citizenry instead of parliamentary nomination. On the other hand, the prime minister is elected indirectly and must receive the support of the parliament (Freeman, 2000). Just as in a parliamentary system, the prime minister has significant powers to exercise. The president can dissolve parliament or veto some of its acts or requests for reconsideration of bills.
Furthermore, the parliament is responsible for making laws, but certain legislative functions are left to the president to legislate by decree. The distribution of political power in this system promotes decisiveness, efficiency, stability, accountability, as well as familiarity (Freeman, 2000). However, cohabitation can create conflicts between the two centers of powers in the executive, especially where the constitution does not specify the roles of both.
A federal system allows the division of power, making a new democracy more likely to succeed. Federalism allows various forms of decentralization, including through legislative changes at local and regional levels (Council on Foreign Relations, 2020). Despite such decentralizations, appropriate checks and balances are instituted. Likewise, the system can be used to hold together deeply fractured nations. However, the major disadvantage of federalism is that in places with regional differences or deep sectarianism, state dissolution can spark fears (Council on Foreign Relations, 2020).
References
Council on Foreign Relations (2020). Excerpt: Pathways to freedom. Retrieved from< https://www.cfr.org/excerpt-pathways-freedom
Freeman, M. (2000). Constitutional Framework and Fragile Democracies: Choosing between Parliamentarianism, Presidentialism, and Semi-presidential. Pace Int’l L. Rev. 12(253), 252-283.
Reynolds, A. et al. (2008).Electoral system design: The new international IDEA handbook. Sweden: Trydells Tryckeri AB. http://www.eods.eu/library/IDEA.Electoral%20Systems%20Design%20EN.pdf