Alternative Mechanisms of Electoral Systems for Vibrant Democracy and all Inclusive Representation in Ethiopia
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Date
2008-06
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A.A.U
Abstract
Electoral system design is being recogni zed as one of the key instruments in democracy in
changing votes into seats. In Ethiopia since 1991 various elections have been held, and the
electoral system in use is the plurality electoral system. The plurality electoral system is a system
whereby, a party or a candidate who ga111ered most of the votes in a constituency is declared as a
winner. It distorts the allocation of seats when changing votes into seats, and benefits the bigger
paJties. The system has the potential danger to produce a minority government as a resu lt of
'manufactured majority' in the legislature, which can generally spell civil strife than democracy.
FUlthermore, it influences the behaviors of patties negatively in view of the culture of
compromise and tolerance, and it is not as inclusive as much as possible to be recommended for
such highly diversified and emerging democracy. This paper sets out to show the types of various
electoral systems and their consequences. Ethiopia with its federal arrangement and in
conjunction wi th its parliamentary system needs an electoral system that allows more
inclusiveness than exclusion, a stable gove111ment that sustains credibility and legitimacy, than a
gove111ment which looses credibility and legitimacy shortl y, an electoral system that faci litates
for compromises and tolerance than that widens the polarization of the political parties. To foster
the democrati zation process and to redeem from the past backward political culture for a better
future this paper argues for the re-thinking and redesign of the electoral system by substantiating
with various evidences
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Keywords
Democracy, Mechanisms