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Electoral systems. Proportional and majoritarian electoral systems

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Introduction

The electoral system is understood as a type of social relations in relation to elections of state authorities, as well as the conditions, order and procedures of the elections themselves. This system of relations is regulated by the norms of constitutional law, as well as other non-legal norms of parties and entities participating in elections, taking into account the norms of morality and ethics, traditional aspects and others. Historically, elections to power and related procedures and customs occupied a special place in the life of society. The fair right of citizens of a country to take part in elections of government bodies is an indisputable and generally recognized element of normal states and a civilized society. Every civilized society and state strives for true democracy and tries to turn its citizens into full-fledged subjects of the socio-political life of the country.

The topic of this work: “Types of electoral systems.” Because in different countries fundamental principles and the methods of forming governing bodies and authorities have many differences. In fact, each country has its own unique electoral system. The need to understand and analyze these systems, their general principles, their differences and main characteristics will be the goal of this work. A variety of electoral systems use several basic methods for distributing mandates based on voting results. The relevance of the chosen topic is confirmed by the fact that applying these methods to the same voting result gives different results.

Based on the purpose of this work, the student sets himself the following tasks:

Using scientific literature, determine the main types of existing electoral systems.

Give a comprehensive description of each type.

Identify the main advantages and disadvantages of various systems.

Identify the main problems facing society regarding the need for fair democratic elections and outline ways to solve them.

The object of the study is based on methods for distributing mandates based on voting results in various electoral systems. Subject components are individual species electoral systems.

There is still a strong need in many parts of the world for innovative and constructive ideas in the field of suffrage to solve the problems associated with the open and democratic formation of government, representative legislative bodies, and municipalities. The popularization of this important component of any democratic society contributes to the good education of the younger generation, the development of an active civic position in them, the desire for freedom and at the same time responsibility for themselves, their fellow citizens and the country as a whole.

Participation in elections is also a strong lever for influencing those in power who, while in responsible positions, did not forget about the promises they made and carried out the will of their voters. Among the basic principles, universal suffrage, equal suffrage, secret voting, direct suffrage, a combination of majoritarian and proportional electoral systems in the election of deputies, freedom of elections and voluntary participation of citizens in them, competitiveness, holding elections by election commissions, a combination of state financing of the election campaign are often highlighted with the possibility of using non-state funds and others. This and much more will be discussed in this work.

1 . The essence and types of electoral systems in the system of electoral law

1.1 System and basic principlesvoting rights

IN modern world electoral law, which regulates election procedures, from a scientific point of view is a very complex social, legal and socio-political phenomenon. In jurisprudence, it is divided into subjective and objective suffrage.

Objective electoral law is a system of norms regulated by constitutional law that regulates socio-political relations related to elections to bodies state power, and local government. This institution of the sphere of constitutional law is also closely intertwined with the norms of other branches: civil law, administrative and others. This specific inalienable political right of every citizen is the right to elect and be elected to bodies of state power and local self-government.

Subjective suffrage means that the state guarantees every person the right to participate in elections of local government bodies. Simply put, active suffrage gives the right to vote, and passive suffrage gives the right to be elected. The totality of voters of a country or territorial unit is called its electoral corps (sometimes the electorate).

The subject of electoral law is the totality of social relations in the country regarding the possibility of direct or indirect participation of citizens in elections. Constitutional law defines elections as a procedure for the formation of government bodies or the vesting of power with persons in public office. This procedure must be carried out through voting by citizens endowed with this right. At the same time, the number of applicants for mandates and positions must be at least two per mandate. This definition indicates the distinctive features of elections from other methods of forming power structures. For example, from the procedure for appointing an official through voting by a collegial body. Typically, such a procedure involves one candidate, who is either approved or not. This is contrary to the principle of elections.

The rules of electoral law are divided into procedural and substantive; procedural rules are the most common. All possible sources of constitutional law regarding the conduct of elections are the system of sources of electoral law. In some countries, the special sources of suffrage are codes and specially issued laws.

Through elections, citizens have the opportunity to determine their representatives in government, i.e. this very power is being legitimized. Citizens thereby realize one of the most important democratic principles proclaimed in international declarations. They say that the will of any people should form the basis of the power of any state. This will must be expressed in the periodic holding of fair democratic elections. These elections must be held by universal secret ballot or in other similar forms, with free and equal suffrage. In the political sphere of society, elections are its barometer. It is there that the interests of various political parties and socio-political movements collide. Based on the results of the elections, one can judge the degree of support for these ideologies by the population and their influence on the political life of society. There is a justified and natural selection of officials in political parties and government bodies. Power goes to those forces and candidates whose election programs were more convincing, who are preferred by the majority of citizens and who are trusted. If the majority of voters do not trust any of the candidates, then a massive absence from the elections occurs, and they may be declared invalid.

Based on the degree of public participation, elections are divided into direct and indirect. In direct elections, citizens themselves vote directly, electing, for example, the lower house of the legislature, the head of the executive branch, as well as mayors and others.

Indirect elections differ from direct ones in that they are no longer attended by the population of the country itself, but by authorized groups and individuals - all kinds of delegates, electors and deputies. Such elections are typical for the formation of the upper house of parliament, governors, judges and others.

In addition, elections can also be partial or general. Partial elections are held in cases where it is necessary to replenish the House of Parliament due to the premature departure of some deputies. General elections are held when all citizens of the country entitled to participate in them are called upon to participate, for example, elections to the State Duma of the Russian Federation or the President of the Russian Federation. Based on territorial coverage, elections are divided into national (when they are held throughout the country), regional and local (when local government bodies are elected).

Moreover, in the case when final result occurs after a single vote of voters, then they went to one round, and if two or more rounds are required, then, accordingly, to two rounds, three rounds, etc. All subsequent rounds are called re-votes or re-elections.

In addition to all this, elections can be regular or extraordinary. As a rule, this applies to elections to the national parliament. Extraordinary elections may be called in the event of early dissolution of a particular chamber or the entire parliament. Regular elections must be held either within the time limits specified in laws or constitutions, or called due to the expiration of the term of parliament. If elections do not take place or are declared invalid, then new elections are called and held.

As a rule, the circle of persons for whom the constitution and electoral law in general recognize voting rights is limited by the so-called qualifications, that is special conditions(age, gender, residence, social status, etc.).

In most foreign countries today, universal suffrage is limited by a number of requirements for potential voters or qualifications. The residency requirement is a state-defined requirement that grants the right to vote only to those citizens who have resided in a certain area for a specified period of time. If the law establishes a requirement according to which citizens are granted the right to vote only upon reaching a certain age, then this is an age limit. In the recent past, the age limit was 20-25 years in many countries. The consequence of this was that large sections of young people were excluded from participating in elections. The voting age began to be lowered only after the end of the Second World War. If we talk about the residence qualification, it exists in many foreign countries, but in each country its practical use has a number of specific features. For example, to acquire active voting rights in parliamentary elections, permanent residence in a given electoral district is required. It should be noted that qualifications should not be established by electoral law if they are not provided for by the constitution.

Some states use various kinds of “moral qualifications”. For example, the laws of the states of California, Maine and Utah (USA) require that the voter have “ good character"; in Art. 48 of the Italian Constitution, it is possible to deprive the right to participate in elections “in cases of committing unworthy acts specified in the law.” In some countries, military personnel are deprived of the right to vote, usually private and junior command personnel.

It even happened that legally and in fact in a number of states, “coloreds” and some other national minorities lost the right to participate in elections. For example, until 1994 in Republic of South Africa According to the “law,” the entire indigenous population of the country was deprived of the right to choose.

The principles of electoral law are understood as the main, guiding ideas, principles, requirements and conditions, without following which any elections cannot be recognized as legal and valid. The principles of electoral law are those circumstances and conditions for its recognition and implementation, the adherence to which in elections makes these elections a real expression of the will of the people. Violation of these principles undermines the legitimacy of elections. Their main purpose is to ensure that the results of referendums and elections correspond to the actual will of voters.

The main principles of subjective suffrage include equality, universality, freedom, spontaneity, and secret ballot. Universality of elections means that voting rights are vested in all adult and mentally healthy citizens who have reached a certain age. A person whose right to vote is recognized by law or constitution is called a voter. Typically, only citizens of a given state can participate in elections, but often the right to vote in local government elections is also given to foreign citizens and stateless persons permanently residing in the area.

The principles of electoral law, which express the essence of democracy in the country, are enshrined at the constitutional level.

The principle of free elections means that a citizen must decide for himself whether to take part in elections or not, and if so, to what extent. Free elections are the highest direct expression of democracy. It turns out that when establishing election results, it is not appropriate to take into account what percentage of citizens voted. Therefore, even if at least one voted, the elections should be considered valid. This principle, for example, is characteristic of many states with an Anglo-Saxon legal system, but also many others.

At the same time, a number of states provide for compulsory turnout, that is, the legal obligation of citizens to take part in elections. Thus, the authors of the Constitution of the Italian Republic in 1947 considered mandatory turnout compatible with the principle of freedom of elections, indicating in the second part of Art. 48: “Voting is personal and equal, free and secret. Implementing it is a civic duty for every Italian.” However, in Italy the sanctions applied for violation of this duty are only moral. However, in Australia, non-participation in elections is punishable by a fine, and in Turkey or Greece - up to imprisonment. In Argentina, lazy voters are not only fined, but may be deprived of the opportunity to hold positions in government structures and institutions for three years. However, the participation of citizens in voting in such countries can reach 90 percent or more.

Secret voting is a principle of electoral law, which means that any possibility of any control over the will of the voter is excluded, i.e. special hidden cabins are being built. Putting pressure on a voter or intimidating him is prohibited by law. Ballot papers should not be numbered to prevent the voter from being identified.

Any citizen of Russia has the right to vote and be elected regardless of race, gender, origin, nationality, language, wealth and position, place of residence, religious views, beliefs, membership in public associations and other factors. But at the same time, there are some restrictions on the exercise of voting rights: a criminal record requirement, for example. In addition, citizens who have been declared incompetent by a court or who are held in prison by a court sentence cannot participate in elections and be elected.

Another principle is also one of the most important manifestations of the constitutionally guaranteed equality of voters. The principle of equal suffrage determines the equality of opportunities for every citizen to influence the outcome of elections. This most important principle means that voters take part in elections on equal rights and opportunities: all citizens have an equal number of votes in elections; Each people's representative must represent the same number of voters. This means that it is necessary to comply with a single norm of representation, according to which constituencies of equal numbers are formed. This principle is foreign literature sometimes referred to as "one person, one vote". However, depending on the electoral system, there may be more than one vote; it is important that all voters have them equally. Thus, in parliamentary elections in Austria and Hungary, each voter has a pair of votes, and in elections of representative bodies of local government in the Bavarian lands - three.

The principle of periodicity and mandatory holding of elections means that elections of state authorities and local self-government are mandatory and must be held within the period established by the Constitution, laws, and charters of municipalities. In our country, if elections have not been called by the proper authorities, then a court of general jurisdiction can do so. At the same time, the term of office of any elected bodies, as well as the powers of people’s representatives, cannot exceed 5 years. The alternative nature of elections implies that the number of candidates registered in the electoral district must be more quantity mandates to be distributed in a given district. Territorial principle the organization of elections assumes that elections are held in territorial electoral districts of various models, and voting is carried out at territorial polling stations.

The analyzed principles of Russian electoral law are enshrined in the Constitution Russian Federation and various Federal laws. They fully comply with international legal standards for holding elections to government structures and make it possible to hold real democratic elections in our country, i.e. such elections that allow our citizens to fully exercise their voting rights, and government bodies will be formed on the basis of the will of the majority of voters.

The Constitution of the Russian Federation is the highest link in the system of electoral law. It regulates issues related to elections and referendums. In the Russian Constitution, Articles 3,32,81,96,97 are directly devoted to these topics. Also, the central source of electoral law is the Federal Law “On Basic Guarantees of Electoral Rights and the Right to Participate in a Referendum of Citizens of the Russian Federation” dated June 12, 2002 No. 67-FZ. There are also Federal laws “On the election of deputies of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation” and “On the election of the President of the Russian Federation”, and the constituent entities of the Russian Federation have their own regional laws on the election of people’s representatives to local and legislative authorities.

1.2 Concept and types of electoral systems

In all textbooks and scientific works, including in our jurisprudence, the concept of “electoral system”, as a rule, has two understandings - in a broad and narrow sense.

In the broadest sense, the electoral system is an established system of social relations directly related to the elections of state authorities and local self-government. The range of such relationships is very wide. It covers issues related to the infrastructure of elections, the definition of the circle of voters and those elected, and the relationships formed at all stages of the electoral process from beginning to end. It is quite clear that such an electoral system in such a broad sense should be regulated not only by legal norms. The entire electoral system is regulated by a number of sources of electoral law, which constitute a system of legal norms, which is part of the system of constitutional law norms. However, not the entire electoral system is governed by legal norms. It also consists of relations regulated by various customs, traditions, as well as statutes public associations, i.e. corporate standards. It should also be noted that, unlike many foreign constitutions, our Constitution does not have a special chapter on the right to vote.

The electoral system of the Russian Federation is described by the following Federal laws:

No. 138-FZ “On ensuring the constitutional rights of citizens of the Russian Federation to elect and be elected to local government bodies.”

No. 51-FZ “On the elections of deputies of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation.”

No. 184-FZ “On general principles organizations of legislative and executive bodies of state power of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation."

No. 19-FZ “On the elections of the President of the Russian Federation”.

No. 67-FZ “On the basic guarantees of electoral rights and the right to participate in a referendum of citizens of the Russian Federation.”

And yet, citizens are most interested in the electoral system in another, so-called narrow sense. The electoral system in a narrow sense is understood as a system of legal norms that predetermines the results of elections. Based on data legal norms, it is determined: the type of electoral districts, the type of elections, the form and composition of the ballot, the rules for counting votes, etc. If we try to define the concept of “electoral system”, abstracting from its meaning in a narrow or broad sense, we get the following. Apparently, the electoral system should be understood as a certain set of techniques, rules, procedures and institutions that should ensure the legal formation of elected bodies public authority, based on fair and adequate representation of all possible interests of the country's citizens.

The types of electoral systems are determined by the principles of formation of the elected body of public authority and the appropriate procedure for dividing mandates after tabulating the voting results, which are also provided for in legislative acts on elections. Since in different states the principles for the formation of elected state and local bodies and the procedure for dividing mandates are varied, there really are as many variations of electoral systems as there are countries that use elections to form public authorities. However, over many centuries of the development of representative democracy, only two main types of electoral systems have been developed. These are majoritarian and proportional systems. Specific elements of these basic systems appear everywhere in various models electoral systems in different states.

Often, much depends on what type of electoral system will be used in a particular election. No matter how similar the voting results are, the election results can be very different.

Majoritarian (majority - French) electoral system, according to which the elected candidate is the one who received the most larger number votes.

There are three types of majoritarian systems:

absolute majority system (when a candidate needs to get 50% of the votes plus one vote to win);

relative majority system (when a candidate needs to get the largest number of votes, even less than half); qualified majority system (a specific value of the majority of votes is established in advance, which is always greater than 50%).

The second type of electoral system is the proportional electoral system, which allows the formation of elected public authorities through party representation.

Various political parties, their associations, as well as political movements submit lists of their candidates.

If two electoral systems are used in parallel, where part of the mandates are distributed according to the proportional system, and the other part according to the majoritarian system, then such a system is called mixed or hybrid. This is nothing more than a synthesis of majoritarian and proportional electoral systems.

In such systems, candidates are nominated according to party lists (according to the proportional system), and voting takes place individually for each candidate (according to the majoritarian system). The second chapter will give a detailed description of each type of electoral system.

2 . Characteristics of types of electoral systems. Their advantages and disadvantages

2.1 Majority system

The majoritarian system is one of the types of systems used in many states, including the Russian Federation. According to the majoritarian electoral system, the winner of the election will be the candidate who gets greatest number votes. Moreover, in most countries and in the Russian Federation, including, the majority of votes is calculated based on total number citizens who came to vote in elections.

The majoritarian electoral system can be subdivided according to the type of districts. First of all, it is a majoritarian system in a single electoral district in which senior officials are elected. In such cases, an absolute majority of votes is applied, i.e. 50% votes + 1 vote. Moreover, if none of the candidates was able to obtain an absolute majority of votes, then a second round is scheduled. The two candidates who received an absolute majority of votes in the first round participate in the second round.

Under the single-mandate majoritarian system, deputies of representative bodies of power are elected in electoral districts. In this case, categorical voting for specific candidates is used. Each citizen who comes to the polls has one vote, and the candidate who receives a relative majority of votes wins.

According to the majoritarian system in multi-member districts, people's representatives are elected to representative bodies of power, using approving voting for specific people. Under such a system, a citizen has as many votes as the number of mandates distributed in a given electoral district. The number of candidates who receive a relative majority of votes is equal to the number of mandates in this constituency and receives a relative majority of votes. Another name for a multi-member electoral system is an unlimited vote system.

The majoritarian electoral system has a number of advantages compared to the proportional system. Firstly, this system is quite universal, as it is used both in the election of senior officials (presidents, governors and others) and in the election of representative government bodies (parliaments, legislative assemblies). Secondly, the majoritarian system is a system of personal representation where specific candidates are selected. Such a personal approach to each candidate allows any independent candidate who is not affiliated with any party to participate and win. Citizens are given the opportunity to take into account not only party affiliation or election program, but also the personal qualities of the candidate, his professionalism, life views and reputation.

In addition, in elections to a collegial body of power, for example to parliament, in single-mandate constituencies, the democratic principle of democracy is observed. In every separate district, citizens choose their representative in the national parliament by voting for a specific candidate from their constituency. Such specificity gives the candidate independence from parties and their leaders - in contrast to a candidate who has passed on the party list.

According to recent changes in legislation, starting from 2016, 50% of deputies State Duma Russia (that's 225 people) will be elected in single-mandate constituencies, and the other half according to party lists, in a single electoral district (proportional system).

The disadvantages of the majoritarian electoral system include the fact that if there is no real choice, citizens, voting for a particular candidate, will actually vote not for him, but against his competitor, or choosing the lesser “of two evils.” It often happens that for each deputy elected in a single-mandate majoritarian district, only the decisions of his district will be more important and significant, which can greatly complicate the adoption of general decisions. In addition, members elected to a collegial body under a majoritarian system may have completely opposite points of view, and this will also not contribute to quick decision-making.

Under a majoritarian election system, the real choice of citizens may be distorted. If, for example, 4 candidates participate in the elections, 3 of them received 24% of the votes (a total of 72% for three), and the fifth received 25% of the votes, 3% of the votes voted against all of them. It turns out that the fourth candidate will be considered democratically chosen, although 75% of voters voted not for him or against him. In some countries, attempts to overcome this shortcoming of the majoritarian electoral system have led to its modification.

In a majoritarian system, abuses such as manipulation of the formation of electoral districts or buying votes are not uncommon. The first allows you to deprive any territory with a pronounced political position of an advantage in terms of votes. In such a “democratic” country as the United States, manipulation very often took place when districts were “cut” in areas with a large African-American population. Large white areas were purposefully added to such districts, and the African-American population lost the majority of votes for its candidate. Therefore, a system of ordinary voting was invented and implemented in some countries (USA, Ireland, Australia, Malta), eliminating this drawback. At the same time, a citizen not only casts his vote for a specific candidate, but also builds a preference rating from several other candidates. As a result, it turns out that if the candidate for whom a citizen voted did not receive a majority of votes, then his vote will go to the second candidate in his ranking, and so on. This will continue until the candidate who actually gets the most votes is determined.

Majoritarian choice is attractive because it eliminates candidates who represent a minority in society. However, this minority is often marginally inferior to the majority. As a result, the criterion of representativeness turns out to be unrealized, since the “opposition” point of view is not represented in the elected body to the same extent as it is widespread in society.

The next disadvantage of this system is the effect of “Duverger’s law”. In the mid-twentieth century, the famous French political scientist and sociologist M. Duverger showed everyone another significant drawback in the majoritarian electoral system. He spent statistical research many such elections and found that sooner or later such a system gives rise to a two-party system in the country, since the chances of new small parties getting into parliament are very small. The most striking example of a two-party system is the US Parliament. After all, opponents of the majoritarian system argue that it creates opportunities for the growing role of financial donors, contrary to the constitutional rights of voters.

Finally, the majoritarian system is imperfect due to the practical absence of a mechanism for recalling deputies. In a majoritarian system, as a rule, direct connections arise between the candidate (and then the deputy) and voters. It contributes to the ousting of small and medium-sized parties from government bodies and the formation of a two- or three-party system.

In our country, the majoritarian electoral system is used in presidential elections and elections of heads of cities, regions, federal subjects, as well as in elections to local representative bodies of government.

2.2 Proportional electoral system

The proportional electoral system is one of the types of electoral systems used in many countries, including Russia, based on voting according to party lists. The main difference between the proportional system and the majoritarian system is that deputy mandates are distributed not between individual candidates, but between parties in accordance with the number of votes cast for them. This electoral system is based on the principle of party representation, in which parties submit ranked party lists of candidates, and the citizen is invited to vote for the entire list at once.

In this case, the territory of the state or region is considered a single electoral district. Mandates are divided in proportion to the votes received by each party. The first time the proportional electoral system was used was in the Belgian elections in 1899. In a number of states there is a passing threshold, calculated as a percentage of all votes. In our country, the threshold for elections to the lower house of parliament was previously equal to 7%. At the next parliamentary elections in 2016, it will already be reduced to 5%. The five percent passing threshold applies in almost all countries, but in some states the passing threshold is even lower. In particular, in Sweden, Argentina, Denmark and Israel it is equal to 4, 3.2 and 1 percent, respectively. The votes of those parties that were unable to overcome this barrier are divided among other parties that were more fortunate.

The proportional system can be used both in elections only to the lower house of parliament, as here, in Latvia, Denmark, etc., and the entire legislative body of the country, as in Belgium, Austria, Brazil, Poland, Australia. It is even possible to use a proportional system for half of the lower house, and a majoritarian system for the other half, as was previously the case in Germany and will be the case in two years.

The proportional electoral system, like the majoritarian one, has its own variations. In the scientific literature, two main types of proportional systems are distinguished: open and closed party lists.

An open party list (Netherlands, Finland, Brazil) gives the voter the opportunity to vote not only for a specific party list, but also for an individual party member from this list. In this case, it is possible to vote either for a specific party member or for two or more, indicating the preference rating of the candidates. In those states where open lists are used, the influence of parties on the personal composition of their representatives in parliament is reduced.

A closed party list (Russia, EU, Israel, South Africa) gives a citizen only the right to vote only for a party, but not for an individual person on the list. The mandates won in the elections are distributed within the party list among party members, according to their order in the list. The party receives the number of seats in proportion to the votes received. The list may contain the central part and regional groups, priority remains with candidates from the central part, and the remaining mandates are proportional to the votes of citizens who supported the party in the corresponding district.

The advantages of the proportional electoral system, first of all, include the fact that votes do not just disappear; with the exception of those votes that were cast for parties that did not pass the threshold threshold. Therefore, the fairest use of the proportional system is elections in Israel (threshold of 1%). Such an electoral system makes it possible to form the representation of political parties in accordance with their popularity among the population, without depriving the minority of such rights. Citizens cast votes not for a specific person who has a better chance, but for the political orientation that they adhere to. The likelihood of electing representatives to parliament who have financial leverage over voters is decreasing.

The main disadvantage of the proportional system is the partial loss of the principle of democracy, the loss of communication between the elected representatives and those who nominated and elected them. Also, the main complaint made against the proportional electoral system is that the voter does not have the opportunity to influence the personal composition of the elected government body.

In addition, there is the well-known “steam locomotive technology” - when at the beginning of a closed list there are people popular among the people (pop, film, sports stars), who then refuse mandates for the sake of unknown party members. Therefore, voting takes place for some abstract candidate, since often people only know the leader of the party and a couple of its prominent representatives. At the same time, closed party lists allow the party leader to determine the sequence of candidates. This may lead to internal split, as well as to dictatorship within the party. A serious disadvantage is also the high threshold barrier that prevents a new or small political party from entering.

In parliamentary republics, the government is formed by the party that has the majority of mandates. However, with a proportional system, the likelihood increases that no single party will receive a majority in parliament. This leads to the need to form a coalition of representatives of completely different ideologies. Such a government may be unable to reform due to differences of opinion.

In such a system, the average ordinary voter often simply does not understand the rules for distributing mandates, and therefore may not trust the elections and refuse to go to vote. In many states, the level of turnout for elections is in the range of 40-60% of the total number of voters, and therefore, such elections do not reflect the real picture of citizens’ preferences and interfere with the implementation of necessary reforms.

In our country, the proportional electoral system was used in elections to the lower house Legislative Assembly, as well as in elections to regional parliaments and representative bodies of local self-government. Here, for example, are the results of the distribution of mandates based on the results of the elections of deputies of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation of the sixth convocation:

2.3 Mixed electoral system

A mixed electoral system is an electoral system in which part of the mandates for a representative body of power is distributed according to a majoritarian system, and part - according to a proportional system. A mixed electoral system is a synthesis of a majoritarian electoral system and a proportional one. The nomination of candidates takes place according to a proportional system (based on party lists), and voting - according to a majoritarian system (personally for each candidate). In a number of states, in order to combine the advantages of different systems and avoid their imperfections or simply mitigate them, mixed electoral systems are formed, which combine elements of both majoritarian and proportional systems.

A mixed electoral system is one of the types of electoral systems used in many countries with large populations or in states with a heterogeneous population living in different economic, geographical and socio-cultural conditions, including the Russian Federation. Thus, by electing the lower house of parliament according to party lists, and some individually, a balance is created between local and/or national interests. In particular, in Australia, the upper house of parliament is elected by an absolute majority system, and the lower house by a proportional system. But in Italy and Mexico, three quarters of the people's representatives of the Federal Congress are elected according to the majoritarian system of relative majority and only one quarter according to the proportional system. This system is also used in the parliaments of Wales and Scotland, as well as in Germany, Mexico, Bolivia, New Zealand and others. Typically, regional branches of a party draw up their own list for a specific electoral district; self-nomination of party members is allowed. Next, party lists are approved by the leader and the highest party body. Elections are held in single-mandate constituencies. Citizens, when choosing between specific candidates, can be guided by both the personal qualities of the candidate and his party affiliation.

Mixed electoral systems are usually distinguished by the nature of the relationship between the elements of the majoritarian and proportional systems used in them. On this basis, two types of mixed systems are distinguished: mixed connected and parallel.

A mixed coupled electoral system, in which the distribution of seats under a majoritarian system depends on the results of elections under a proportional system. Mandates received by parties in majoritarian districts are distributed depending on the election results using a proportional system. At the same time, candidates in majoritarian districts are nominated by political parties participating in elections according to the proportional system. For example, in Germany, during elections to the Bundestag, a political party that receives more votes than the number required by law receives the right to represent its candidates who won in majoritarian districts (“transitional mandates”). The main vote is the vote for the land lists of parties. However, German voters also vote for candidates in majoritarian constituencies.

A mixed parallel electoral system, in which the distribution of mandates under a majoritarian system does not depend in any way on the results of elections under a proportional system (the examples given above are precisely examples of a mixed parallel electoral system).

The mixed electoral system is used in Russian municipal elections more often than the fully proportional one. Basically, the option is used in which half (or about half) of the deputies are elected according to the proportional system, and the remaining deputies are elected in single-mandate constituencies according to the majoritarian electoral system of the relative majority. Another common option is when the majoritarian component is implemented in the form of multi-member constituencies with the number of votes the voter has, equal to the number mandates. Sometimes the majoritarian component in the relevant municipal elections is implemented in the form of one multi-member electoral district. In this case, the number of deputies elected according to the majoritarian system is significantly less than those elected according to party lists. This option is typical for the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia); for example, in the Ust-Yansky ulus on October 14, 2012, 10 deputies were elected according to party lists and 5 deputies in a five-mandate electoral district using a majoritarian electoral system.

A mixed electoral system is used in Russia for elections to the lower house of the Russian Legislative Assembly.

From 2007 to 2011, the entire composition of deputies was elected from a single electoral district using a proportional system with a percentage threshold of 7%. According to recent changes in legislation, starting from 2016, 50% of the deputies of the Russian Duma (that’s 225 people) will be elected in single-mandate constituencies, and the other half according to party lists, in a single electoral district (proportional system).

The next elections to the State Duma in 2016 will again be held under a mixed system under the same conditions (threshold barrier, rules for the formation of electoral districts) as previously (before 2007).

In general, the mixed type of electoral system is very democratic and flexible. However, in a country located on early stage development of democracy, with unsettled political parties, the mixed election system contributes to the fine fragmentation of the party system.

Such a fragmented party system gives rise to a situation where no political party has a majority in parliament. The latter are forced to form coalitions, and often such coalitions are formed from ideological opponents. All this makes it difficult to make the most important decisions for the country and carry out necessary reforms.

Such fragmentation of the party system, coalitions between ideological opponents could be observed in the nineties and early 2000s in Russia and Ukraine, as well as in some other parliaments of the former post-Soviet space.

Conclusion

Having studied the legislation, scientific works and articles on the topic “Types of electoral systems”, some conclusions can be drawn.

Every electoral system has its advantages and disadvantages. Such well-known sociologists and political scientists as H. Linz and M. Duverger believe that the choice of one or another electoral system has a significant impact on the development of the country. Probably, after all, there is no ideal model of an electoral system. Each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages. This explains the huge variety of electoral systems used in the modern world.

For each country or part of it, before deciding to implement one or another type of electoral system, one should thoroughly analyze the specific aspects and realities of modern political, economic life state, culture and traditions of a particular people. Important Special attention pay attention to how the voter's vote will be transformed into mandates for parties or individual candidates. In other words, the method of electing candidates for elective positions should, at least in its main features, be understandable to the maximum number of citizens. The voting procedure should also not create any particular difficulties for voters. Wherein further development The political life of the country may require the use of new models of the electoral system.

Choosing an electoral system is a continuous search; and an important condition for its success is knowledge of world experience in this area. Of course, there is no need to stop there. The electoral system, as presented in the work, can in reality have a strong impact on all institutions of the political system of the state. By modeling this system, we to a certain extent create a certain channel where the political life of our country will flow.

In conclusion, I would like to note once again that all types of electoral systems, to one degree or another, contain a number of negative aspects, therefore today (especially in our country) the implementation of the substantive aspect of representation is of paramount importance. This aspect should reflect both the improvement of the political culture of the deputy corps and the development of a clear functional concept of the role of the deputy himself.

In addition, in order to further improve the Russian electoral system and legislation in this area, it is necessary to direct efforts to:

further improvement of the organization of voting and vote counting, increasing the openness and transparency of these processes;

improving the system of election commissions in order to increase their independence and efficiency of their work;

optimization of procedures related to the implementation of passive electoral rights;

improving the voter registration system;

adjustment of procedures for considering violations of election legislation and bringing to justice for these violations;

clarification of concepts related to information support for elections and referendums;

improving the election financing system and financial control system.

In the course of writing the course work, many normative and scientific sources on this topic were studied, and the main types of electoral systems were identified, detailed characteristics each type, their main advantages and disadvantages are identified. Problems facing society were also touched upon and ways to solve them were outlined. Therefore, we can assume that the goals set before writing the work were achieved.

Glossary

		Definition
	Two party system	a type of party system in which only two political parties (“the parties in power”) have a realistic chance of winning an election.
		an elected official of the state or local government who is a member of a representative body of government (local government).
	Duverger's law	a principle in political science that states that winner-take-all electoral systems tend to result in a two-party political system.
	Electoral system	ordered public relations, related to the elections of public authorities, constituting the election procedure.
	Suffrage	a sub-branch of constitutional law, consisting of legal norms, rules sanctioned by law and customs established in practice that regulate the procedure for granting citizens the right to participate in elections and the method of forming elected authorities; the right of citizens of the country to elect and be elected.
	Constituency	a territorial unit from which an elected official or several elected officials are elected.
	Majoritarian electoral system	The winner of the election campaign is the one of the participants in the election struggle who received the majority of votes.
		instructions, powers (for example, parliamentary), as well as a document confirming them.
	Political freedom	a natural, inalienable quality from a person and social communities, expressed in the absence of interference in a person’s sovereignty to interact with the political system through coercion or aggression.
	Politic system	a set of interactions (relations) organized on a single normative and value basis political subjects related to the exercise of power (government) and management of society.
	Proportional electoral system
	Mixed electoral system	an electoral system in which part of the mandates for a representative body of government is distributed according to a majoritarian system, and part - according to a proportional system.

List of sources used

1. Arutyunova A.B. Electoral system as an independent institution of electoral law // Modern law. 2010.

2. Arustamov L.G. Features of the formation and evolution of the electoral system of Russia // Vestn. State University of Management. 2010.

3. Barkhatova E.Yu. Commentary on the Constitution of the Russian Federation: taking into account the Laws on changing the term of office of the President of the Russian Federation and the State Duma and on the control powers of the State Duma in relation to the Government of the Russian Federation. M.: “Prospekt”, 2012.

4. Volodkina E.A. Electoral system in a broad sense: legislative interpretation of the concept // Actual problems rulemaking: State Educational Institution of Higher Professional Education “Saratov State. acad. rights" - Saratov, 2010.

5. Ivlev L.G. The domestic electoral system has proven its worth // Journal. about elections. 2012.

6. Constitutional law of Russia: Textbook. for higher education students educational institutions, studying in the specialty “Jurisprudence” / Author: A.V. Bezrukov et al. 4th ed., revised. and additional M.: “Norma”, “Infra-M”, 2010.

7. Sorokina E.V. Transformation of the electoral system of Russia: Textbook. allowance / Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation, Baltic State. technical University "Voenmekh", Dept. political science. - St. Petersburg: BSTU, 2010.

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There are three main types of electoral systems:

§ majority;

§ proportional;

§ mixed.

Majoritarian electoral system

In a majoritarian system (from the French majorite - majority), the candidate who receives the majority of votes wins. The majority can be absolute (if a candidate received more than half the votes) or relative (if one candidate received more votes than the other). The disadvantage of a majoritarian system is that it can reduce the chances of small parties gaining representation in government.

The majoritarian system means that in order to be elected, a candidate or party must receive a majority of votes from voters in a district or the entire country, while those who collect a minority of votes do not receive mandates. Majoritarian electoral systems are divided into absolute majority systems, which are more often used in presidential elections and in which the winner must receive more than half the votes (minimum - 50% of the votes plus one vote), and relative majority systems (Great Britain, Canada, USA, France, Japan and etc.), when to win it is necessary to get ahead of other contenders. When applying the absolute majority principle, if no candidate receives more than half of the votes, a second round of elections is held, in which the two candidates who received the largest number of votes are presented (sometimes all candidates who received more than the established minimum votes in the first round are allowed into the second round ).

Proportional electoral system

A proportional electoral system involves voting by voters according to party lists. After the elections, each party receives a number of mandates proportional to the percentage of votes received (for example, a party that receives 25% of the votes receives 1/4 of the seats). In parliamentary elections, a percentage threshold (electoral threshold) is usually set that a party must overcome in order to get its candidates into parliament; as a result of this, small parties that do not have a wide social support, do not receive mandates. Votes for parties that do not overcome the threshold are distributed among the winning parties in the elections. A proportional system is only possible in multi-mandate electoral districts, i.e. those where several deputies are elected and the voter votes for each of them personally.

The essence of the proportional system is the distribution of mandates in proportion to the number of votes received by parties or electoral coalitions. The main advantage of this system is the representation of parties in elected bodies in accordance with their real popularity among voters, which makes it possible to more fully express the interests of all groups of society and to intensify the participation of citizens in elections and politics in general. In order to overcome excessive party fragmentation of the parliament and limit the possibility of representatives of radical or even extremist forces entering it, many countries use barriers or thresholds that establish the minimum number of votes required to obtain parliamentary mandates. It usually ranges from 2 (Denmark) to 5% (Germany) of all votes cast. Parties that do not collect the required minimum votes do not receive a single mandate.

Mixed electoral system

Currently, many countries use mixed systems that combine elements of majoritarian and proportional electoral systems. Thus, in Germany, one half of the Bundestag deputies are elected according to the majority system of relative majority, the second - according to the proportional system. A similar system was used in Russia in the elections to the State Duma in 1993 and 1995.

A mixed system involves a combination of majority and proportional systems; for example, one part of the parliament is elected by a majoritarian system, and the second by a proportional system; in this case, the voter receives two ballots and casts one vote for the party list, and the second for a specific candidate elected on a majoritarian basis.

14. Electoral system of Russia. Electoral reform in modern stage .

The electoral system includes two main elements:

§ theoretical (suffrage);

§ practical (election process).

Suffrage is the right of citizens to directly participate in the formation of elected institutions of government, i.e. elect and be elected. Electoral law also refers to legal norms regulating the procedure for granting citizens the right to participate in elections and the method of forming government bodies. The foundations of modern Russian electoral law are enshrined in the Constitution of the Russian Federation.

The electoral process is a set of activities for the preparation and conduct of elections. It includes, on the one hand, the election campaigns of candidates, and on the other, the work of election commissions to form an elected government body.

The following components are distinguished in the electoral process:

§ calling elections;

§ organization of electoral districts, districts, precincts;

§ formation of election commissions;

§ voter registration;

§ nomination and registration of candidates;

§ preparation of ballots and absentee ballots;

In the Russian Federation, the existing electoral system regulates the procedure for holding elections of the head of state, deputies of the State Duma and regional authorities.

Candidate for the post President of the Russian Federation may be a Russian citizen of at least 35 years of age who has lived in Russia for at least 10 years. A candidate cannot be a person who has foreign citizenship or a residence permit, an unexpunged and unexpunged criminal record. The same person cannot hold the position of President of the Russian Federation for more than two consecutive terms. The President is elected for six years on the basis of universal, equal and direct suffrage by secret ballot. Presidential elections are held on a majoritarian basis. The president is considered elected if in the first round of voting a majority of voters who took part in the voting voted for one of the candidates. If this does not happen, a second round is scheduled in which the two candidates who received the most votes in the first round participate, and the one who received more votes than the other registered candidate wins.

A State Duma deputy can A citizen of the Russian Federation who has reached the age of 21 and has the right to participate in elections was elected. 450 deputies are elected to the State Duma from party lists on a proportional basis. In order to overcome the electoral threshold and receive mandates, a party must gain a certain percentage of the votes. The term of office of the State Duma is five years.

Russian citizens also participate in elections in government bodies and for elected positions in subjects of the Russian Federation. According to the Constitution of the Russian Federation. the system of regional government bodies is established by the subjects of the Federation independently in accordance with the fundamentals of the constitutional system and current legislation. The law establishes special days for voting in elections to government bodies of the constituent entities of the Federation and local governments - the second Sunday of March and the second Sunday of October.

Reform.

The electoral legislation of Russia is currently at the stage of reform. Reform of the regulatory framework of the electoral process, like any legislative reform, has significant consequences for the development of the entire system of Russian law.

1. The first stage of the reform was the updating of election legislation in 2002-2003.

IN new edition Federal Law No. 67-FZ of June 12, 2002 “On the Basic Guarantees of Electoral Rights and the Right to Participate in a Referendum of Citizens of the Russian Federation”, Federal Law No. 175-FZ of December 20, 2002 “On Elections of Deputies of the State Duma, Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation”, Federal Law of January 10, 2003 No. 19-FZ “On the Election of the President of the Russian Federation” 1. The above acts introduced a number of significant changes to the Russian electoral system.

2. In 2004, various government bodies put forward new initiatives to reform the Russian electoral system.

On federal level Elections to representative bodies of state power are now held using a mixed system. However, election practice recent years showed that the federal parliament most of candidates are elected from political parties. In this regard, during the reform of electoral legislation in 2005, a fully proportional system of elections to the State Duma of the Russian Federation was introduced.

In our opinion, the introduction of a proportional electoral system at the Federation level is quite acceptable.

Another significant change in the Russian electoral system in 2005 was a change in the procedure for electing regional heads. The leaders of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation will be elected not directly by the population, but by regional parliaments on the proposal of the President of the Russian Federation.

3. Today Russian state makes every effort to ensure the exercise of power by citizens and optimize the electoral process in Russia. However, government efforts alone in this direction are clearly not enough. It seems that without real actions of political parties, as well as citizens, the goals set can hardly be achieved. At the present stage of development of Russian statehood, more active participation of the people in the exercise of state power, the formation and development of civil society. This will help ensure not only the effectiveness of election procedures, but will also have a positive impact on the further development of Russia and its relations with other countries.

In the literature, the term “electoral system” is described in two meanings. In a broad sense, this concept refers to social relations directly related to elections and constituting their order. They are regulated by constitutional law, as well as norms established by public associations. An important role is played by traditions and customs, norms of political ethics and morality.

The main principles of the electoral system are identified: universality, free participation in elections and equal rights of citizens in the process, mandatory vote, competitiveness, equal opportunities for all applicants, “transparency” of the conduct and preparatory work.

Accordingly, under the electoral system

one can understand the mechanism through which state power and self-government are formed in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation. This process includes several main points: a system of bodies established by law, which is directly entrusted with the powers to carry out activities and conduct an election campaign; as well as the activities of subjects of legal relations and political structures.

In the narrow sense of the word this system are considered as a method enshrined in legal acts that makes it possible to establish the results of elections and distribute deputy mandates. This process directly depends on the voting results.

Basic systems are determined, first of all, by the principles of formation of

organ of power. They differ in different states. However, thanks to centuries of experience, two main types have been identified: majoritarian and proportional. These types of electoral systems, or rather their elements, find themselves in other diverse models.

Based on personal representation in power. Therefore, a certain person is always nominated as a candidate for a position. However, the nomination mechanism may vary: some types of electoral systems allow self-nomination of candidates, for example, from public associations, while others require candidates to run exclusively from political parties. However, with any balance of power, consideration takes place on a personal basis. Therefore, a capable, adult citizen, coming to the polls, will vote for a specific person as an independent unit of the described process.

As a rule, those types of electoral systems based on majoritarianism conduct elections in single-mandate constituencies. Moreover, the number of such districts directly depends on the number of mandates. The winner is the campaigner who receives the most votes from voters in the district.

Proportional system.

It is based on the principle of party representation. Accordingly, in this case, it is they who put forward lists of certain candidates for whom they are invited to vote. Types of electoral systems that rely on proportionality essentially propose voting for a political party that protects the interests of certain sections. Mandates are subject to distribution proportionally in accordance with the number of votes cast (as a percentage).

The seats in the government that the party received are occupied by people from the list it nominated and in accordance with the priority it established. Usually they are received by the first 90 candidates from the relevant list.

Mixed system

Attempts to make the most of the types of electoral systems described above have led to the emergence of mixed systems. Their essence boils down to the fact that some deputies are elected according to a majoritarian system, and some - according to a proportional system. Accordingly, the voter has the opportunity to vote for both a candidate and a political party. This system was used in Russia when selecting deputies of the State Duma of the first four convocations.

Electoral systems have gone through a long evolutionary path. As a result of almost three centuries of development, representative democracy has developed two main forms of citizen participation in the formation of state authorities and local self-government: majoritarian and proportional electoral systems.

Based on them in modern conditions mixed forms are also used. Considering these systems, let us pay special attention to the fact that they differ not so much in formal aspects as in the political goals achieved by using these electoral systems.

· Majoritarian electoral system characterized by the fact that The candidate (or list of candidates) who receives the majority of votes required by law is considered elected to a particular elective body.

Most are different . There are electoral systems requiring an absolute majority (this is 50% + 1 vote or more). Such an electoral system exists, for example, in Australia.

Majority system of relative majority means that the one who gets more votes than each of his opponents wins the election .

The majoritarian electoral system is called “first-to-finish system.” They also talk about her - "winner takes all."

Currently This system operates in four countries - USA, Canada, UK, New Zealand .

Sometimes both types of majoritarian systems are used simultaneously. For example, In France, when electing members of parliament, the absolute majority system is used in the first round of voting, and the relative majority system in the second round.

In a majoritarian system, as a rule, direct ties arise and strengthen between the candidate (hereinafter deputy) and voters .

Candidates are well aware of the state of affairs in their constituencies, the interests of voters, and are personally acquainted with their most active representatives. Accordingly, voters have an idea of who they trust to express their interests in government bodies.

It's obvious that in a majoritarian system, elections are won by representatives of the stronger political trend in the country. In turn, this contributes to the ousting of representatives of small and medium-sized parties from parliament and other government bodies.

The majoritarian system contributes to the emergence and strengthening of the tendency to become in the countries where it is used, two- or three-party systems .

· Proportional electoral system means that mandates are distributed strictly in proportion to the number of votes cast.

This system is more widespread in the modern world than the majority system.. In Latin American countries, for example, elections are held only according to the proportional system. .

When using a proportional electoral system, the goal is to ensure broad and proportional representation of political parties, as well as social and national groups in government bodies. .

This system promotes the development of a multi-party system . She used in Australia, Belgium, Sweden, Israel and many other countries.

Just like the majority the proportional system has varieties . There are two types of it:

· proportional electoral system at the national level. In this case, voters vote for political parties throughout the country. Electoral districts are not allocated;

· proportional electoral system based on multi-member constituencies. In this case Deputy mandates are distributed based on the influence of political parties in electoral districts.

Majoritarian and proportional electoral systems have their advantages and disadvantages . Let's look at them in more detail.

To the number positive properties of the majoritarian electoral system refers to what is in it the possibilities of forming an efficient and stable government are laid down.

The fact is that it allows large, well-organized political parties to easily win elections and create one-party governments .

Practice shows that the authorities created on this basis are stable and capable of pursuing solid public policy . Examples from the USA, England and other countries demonstrate this quite convincingly.

However The majority system has a number of significant disadvantages. In a majoritarian system, only the fact that a candidate receives a majority of votes matters for the distribution of parliamentary mandates. The votes given to all other candidates are not taken into account and in this sense are lost.

Interested forces can manipulate the will of voters in a majoritarian system . In particular, significant opportunities lie within the “geography” of constituencies .

As experience shows, The rural population votes more traditionally compared to the urban population. Interested political forces take this circumstance into account when forming electoral districts . As many electoral districts as possible are allocated with a predominance of the rural population.

Thus, The shortcomings of the majoritarian electoral system are very significant. The main one is that a significant part of the country’s voters (sometimes up to 50%) remains unrepresented in government.

The advantages of the proportional electoral system include the fact that the government bodies formed with its help present a real picture of the political life of society and the balance of political forces.

She provides a feedback system between the state and civil society organizations , ultimately contributes to the development of political pluralism and multi-party system.

However the system in question has very significant disadvantages . (Example Italy, which uses this system: since 1945, there have been 52 governments ).

The main disadvantages of this system can be reduced to the following.

Firstly , With a proportional electoral system, difficulties arise in forming a government . Reasons: lack of a dominant party with a clear and solid program; creation of multi-party coalitions, including parties with different goals and objectives. Governments created on this basis are unstable.

Secondly , The proportional electoral system leads to the fact that political forces that do not enjoy support throughout the country receive representation in government bodies.

Third , with a proportional electoral system due to the fact that voting is carried out not for specific candidates, but for parties, The direct connection between deputies and voters is very weak.

Fourthly,Since under this system voting goes for political parties, this circumstance contributes to the dependence of deputies on these parties. Such lack of freedom of parliamentarians can negatively affect the process of discussing and adopting important documents.

The disadvantages of the proportional system are obvious and significant. Therefore, there are numerous attempts to eliminate or at least mitigate them. This left a visible imprint on the proportional electoral systems themselves..

World practice shows that if majority systems are relatively the same, then all proportional systems are different .

The proportional system of each country has its own specifics, which depends on its historical experience, established political system and other circumstances.

Although all proportional systems have as their goal the achievement of proportional representation, this goal is realized to varying degrees.

In accordance with this criterion Three types of proportional electoral systems can be distinguished.

1. Systems that fully implement the principle of proportionality;

2. Electoral systems with insufficient proportionalism;

3. Systems that, although they achieve proportionality between votes cast and mandates received, nevertheless provide for various barriers to the penetration of representatives of certain political forces into parliament.

An example is the electoral system of Germany. Here, candidates from a political party that does not receive 5% of the votes within the entire country do not enter parliament. This “electoral meter” is also used in a number of other states.

As already emphasized, Electoral systems have come quite a long way in their development. During this process (in the post-war period) the formation of a mixed electoral system began, that is, a system that should incorporate the positive characteristics of both majoritarian and proportional electoral systems.

The essence of the mixed electoral system is that a certain part of the deputy mandates is distributed in accordance with the principles of the majoritarian system. This contributes to the formation of a sustainable government .

In Russian legal and scientific literature, two different concepts of the electoral system are used. To distinguish them, two terms are used: “electoral system in a broad sense” and “electoral system in a narrow sense.”

The concept of the electoral system

– a set of legal norms that form the electoral law. Electoral law is a set of legal norms regulating the participation of citizens in elections. Unlike many foreign constitutions, the Constitution of the Russian Federation does not contain a special chapter on electoral rights.

– a set of legal norms that determine the voting results. Based on these legal norms, the following are determined: the type of electoral districts, the form and content of the ballot, etc.

Depending on what type of electoral system (in the narrow sense) will be used in a particular election, the results for the same voting results may be different.

Types of electoral systems

The types of electoral systems are determined by the principles of forming a representative body of power and the procedure for distributing mandates based on voting results. In fact, there are as many types of electoral systems in the world as there are countries that form government bodies through elections. But for centuries-old history elections, the basic types of electoral systems were created, on the basis of which elections take place throughout the world.

(French majorité - majority) electoral system. According to the majoritarian electoral system, the candidate who receives the most votes is considered elected.
There are three types of majoritarian systems:
- absolute majority – the candidate needs to get 50% + 1 vote;
- relative majority – the candidate needs to get the largest number of votes. However, this number of votes may be less than 50% of all votes;
- qualified majority – a candidate must obtain a predetermined majority of votes. Such an established majority is always more than 50% of all votes - 2/3 or 3/4.

This is a system of forming elected authorities through party representation. Political parties and/or political movements nominate lists of their candidates. The voter votes for one of these lists. Mandates are distributed in proportion to the votes received by each party.

Mixed electoral system.
An electoral system in which part of the mandates for a representative body of government is distributed through a majoritarian system, and part through a proportional system. That is, two electoral systems are used in parallel.

This is a synthesis of majoritarian and proportional electoral systems. The nomination of candidates takes place according to a proportional system (based on party lists), and voting is carried out according to a majoritarian system (personally for each candidate).

Electoral system of the Russian Federation

The electoral system in Russia includes several main types of electoral systems.

The electoral system of the Russian Federation is described by the following Federal laws:

No. 19-FZ “On the elections of the President of the Russian Federation”
No. 51-FZ “On elections of deputies of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation”
No. 67-FZ “On the basic guarantees of electoral rights and the right to participate in a referendum of citizens of the Russian Federation”
No. 138-FZ “On ensuring the constitutional rights of citizens of the Russian Federation to elect and be elected to local government bodies”
No. 184-FZ “On the general principles of organization of legislative (representative) and executive bodies of state power of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation”

Before the adoption of the corresponding law in 2002, in regional elections of senior officials in some constituent entities of the Russian Federation, varieties of the majoritarian system were used that were not related to either the system of absolute or the system of relative majority. The candidate was required to receive a relative majority of votes, but not less than 25% of the number of citizens included in the voter lists, and in some constituent entities of the Russian Federation - not less than 25% of the number of voters who took part in the vote. Now all regional elections are held according to the same principles for all.

When electing senior officials (president, governor, mayor), the majority electoral system of absolute majority is used. If none of the candidates receives an absolute majority of votes, a second round is scheduled, where the two candidates who receive a relative majority of votes advance.

During elections to a representative body of a constituent entity of the Russian Federation, a mixed electoral system is used. During elections to a representative body municipality It is possible to use both a mixed electoral system and a majority system of relative majority.

From 2007 to 2011, elections to the State Duma were held using a proportional system. From 2016, half of the deputies (225) of the State Duma of the Russian Federation will be elected in single-mandate constituencies using a majoritarian system, and the second half - in a single electoral district using a proportional system with a percentage threshold of 5%

Electoral system of the Russian Federation this moment does not provide for the use of a hybrid electoral system. Also, the electoral system in Russia does not use a majoritarian qualified majority electoral system.

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