Last Sunday’s parliamentary elections reminded everyone that the electoral system needs to change. Or, at the very least, that changes are needed to overcome problems that have been identified over time.
This debate usually opens after an election to choose members of parliament. And that is because, under the system, a large share of citizens ends up unrepresented in the new House. We are talking about around 17% of voters who chose parties and candidates which, as the result showed, failed to reach the electoral threshold and were left outside.
Obviously, there must be an electoral threshold — a bar for entering parliament. But it should not act as a deterrent to formations and candidates running in an election contest. The 3.6% threshold may ensure that a formation carries a certain level of support within society, but it could be re-examined.
If one also factors in abstention, which reached 33%, together with the lack of representation for those who did go to the polls but whose choices were left outside parliament, then the gap is clearly even wider. And that must concern us.
Many times in the past, the adoption of pure proportional representation has been put forward as a way out. In other words, seats would be allocated to parties and formations on the basis of the absolute share of votes they receive across Cyprus. In this case, the threshold would be just under 2%. For some, that figure is low. Perhaps it is. But a solution must be found. There must be a thorough discussion.
All of this should be debated and should lead to an electoral system that covers the whole spectrum. Beyond that, the method of allocating seats must also be examined. In the latest elections too, we saw seats travelling around the districts and ending up with parties and candidates that had lower percentages and fewer preference votes than others who were not elected. In other words, we watched a party secure a higher share in one district and still fail to win a seat, while that seat went to a smaller formation.
It is clear that there must be a comprehensive and detailed discussion, including an assessment of systems used in other countries. Changes should be made where they are considered possible. Provided, of course, that those changes safeguard the functioning of parliament, the system and the state.
If this is to be decided, the debate should begin soon. Carefully, and through detailed discussion, they must arrive at a fairer system.
