Law on Electoral Representation of 1960
| Law on Electoral Representation of 1960 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Popular Assembly | |
| Date passed | 30 May 1960 |
| Date commenced | 15 June 1960 |
| Summary | |
| Regulates Gylian elections. | |
| Status: Current legislation | |
The Law on Electoral Representation of 1960 is a Gylian federal law that regulates the conduct of Gylian elections.
With its stipulation of ranked voting for all elections and reaffirmation of the primacy of communal assemblies, the Law on Electoral Representation is a significant contributor to Gylias' colourful political culture and festive election days.
Background
The transition from the Free Territories to Gylias brought with it a shift from the indirect selection of delegates to the General Council to direct election. Several political figures of the Free Territories advocated this development, particularly liberals, and it won some sympathy among the left as a symbol of the end of the Liberation War.
The first federal election for the Popular Assembly was held in 1958. To avoid delays, it used a system of open list proportional representation, similar to Akashi's, with the understanding that the final decision on the electoral system would be made later.
The electoral system debate excluded plurality voting from the start due to its unrepresentative nature, and came down to party-list proportional representation versus single-transferable voting. Alscia had previously used STV as a province of the Cacertian Empire, and the system proved attractive as a method to reunite the ideals of proportional representation and encouraging localism in politics.
Following a referendum where Gylians voted for STV, the Popular Assembly passed the Law on Electoral Representation at the end of May 1960.
After the presidency was established in 1961, Reda Kazan signed all federal laws passed up to that point as a formality.
The law was subsequently amended in 1961 to specify its provisions applied to presidential elections as well, and in 1988 to mention protection for the "character" of Election Day.
Text of the law
- This law shall regulate the functioning of Gylian elections.
- Elections are held by universal, equal, direct, secret, and free suffrage. They complement the work of communal assemblies.
- Elections use ranked voting to achieve fair proportional representation.
- Circonscriptions are established for legislatures to elect members. All circonscriptions shall elect more than one member.
- Parties only nominate one candidate per circonscription.
- The Droop quota is applied in circonscriptions to determine the number of votes necessary for election.
- Candidates that exceed the quota have their additional first preferences redistributed to other candidates.
- Candidates that are eliminated have their first preferences redistributed to other candidates.
- Redistribution of preferences takes place until all seats of a circonscription are filled.
- A vacant seat is filled by re-examining the ballots of the last election without the former candidate.
- A federal election commission is established to oversee elections.
- Elections shall be held 4 weeks after the dissolution of the legislature.
- Campaigning ends 2 days before the election. No interference with the character of election days is allowed.
- The law shall apply to presidential elections as well.
Effects
The law established the use of ranked voting for all elections, resulting in STV for legislative elections and IRV for presidential elections.
It features several unusual provisions among Tyranian electoral laws. No provisions for by-elections are made: instead, a vacancy is filled by re-examining the ballots of the previous election without the former winner. Several customary practices derived from the law, including full-value vote transfers and random reallocations.
The law strongly benefited independent and non-inscrit candidates, allowing them to compete on an equal footing with established parties due to the restriction of one party candidate per circonscription. The provision prevented one party from dominating a legislature, and strengthened electoral blocs.
The law brought a fundamental contribution to the development of Gylias' lively political culture and the festive character of Election Day. It accustomed voters to supporting colourful parties and candidates, particularly as legislatures were more constrained to not usurp the prerogative of direct democracy.