(Guest Writer)
By: Abubakarr Benson
Executive Director, Centre for Youth Participation in Democracy CYPaD
Sierra Leone is set to hold its next general election this year in June 2023. As the country prepares for the election, one of the key areas of focus is how the reintroduction of the Proportional Representation (PR) system is going to affect the parliamentary and local council elections. The country has used the proportional representation system in two strategic elections both in 1996 (national constituency proportional representation) and 2002 (district block system proportional representation). It’s worth noting that the system of the mixed electoral system was introduced as part of the political reforms following the end of the country’s civil war in 2002.
In this article, I will explain what Proportional Representation is, the number of available seats and how to work out the threshold for having your party represented in a single-district constituent election (district block system proportional representation).
As Bishop English Peterson asserted in his definition of Proportional Representation, it “is a term used to describe a range of electoral systems in which the distribution of seats corresponds closely with the proportion of the total votes cast for each party or individual candidate”. Meaning, parliamentary seats are allocated to political parties proportionate to the number of votes that party receives in an election. In PR systems, there is usually a threshold, which is the minimum percentage of votes a party must receive to be eligible for representation in the parliament. This is different from the First-Past-the-Post (Winner Takes all system) which is the current voting system in Sierra Leone.
The proportional Representation (PR) District Block System will be used in the June 2023 elections. The PR system is designed to ensure that each party or group of independent candidates is represented in proportion to the number of votes they receive.
Under the PR system, voters cast their ballots for political parties or independent candidates, rather than for individual candidates. The parties and candidates then receive a share of the seats in parliament based on the proportion of the vote they receive. The PR system is used to elect members of the country’s parliament known as the House of Parliament and- councillors/local council representatives. The parliament has 135 seats while the local councils have 493 councillors seats. Meaning, a total of 135 parliamentary seats and 493 councillors’ seats will be up for grabs across all regions and districts in the country.
The PR system that will be used in the election is a closed list system, meaning that voters can only vote for a political party or an independent candidate, and not for individual candidates on the party’s list. The party or independent candidate that receives the highest number of votes wins the first seat, and the other seats are allocated in proportion to the votes received by each party or independent candidate. The PR system is intended to ensure that each party or group of candidates has a fair representation in parliament, based on the number of votes they receive.
The formula for the PR System in the upcoming June 2023 election is a mathematical formula used to allocate seats to political parties based on their share of the vote. With 16 electoral districts, and 135 parliamentary seats, to win a parliamentary seat, political parties or independent candidates must pull the 11.9% threshold of votes in a single-district constituent election. The threshold is calculated by dividing the total number of Parliamentary seats (135) by the total number of electoral districts (16) and multiplying by 100. The same applies to Local Council election; dividing the total number of Councilors’ seats (493) by the total number of local councils (22) and multiplying by 100.
• Parliamentary election: 16÷135 = 0.1185 × 100 = 11.9%
• Local Council election: 22÷493 = 0.0446 × 100 = 4.5%
To calculate the allocation of seats under the PR system, the following steps are taken:
– Determine the total number of valid votes cast in the election.
– Determine the total votes polled by a political party / independent candidate.
– Determine the electoral threshold.
Seats are allocated based on each party’s proportion of the total valid votes in a district. When a political party or an independent candidate meets the threshold of 11.9% for parliament and 4.5% for local Councils, the electoral Commission would assign the share of the seat won to the political party in the district.
Here is an example of how the seats could be allocated using the threshold elimination method in a scenario where six political parties are contesting for 10 parliamentary seats take for instance, Kailahun District and with a threshold of 11.9%.
Let’s say that the valid votes cast are 200,000, and the vote counts for each political party are as follows:
Party A: 70,000 votes
Party B: 50,000 votes
Party C: 30,000 votes
Party D: 20,000 votes
Party E: 15,000 votes
Party F: 15,000 votes
Step 1: Determine the total number of valid votes cast and calculate the threshold.
The threshold is 11.9%, so we need to determine how many votes a party needs to receive to qualify for a seat in parliament:
Threshold = 11.9% of 200,000 = 23,800 votes
Step 2: Determine which parties have exceeded the threshold.
Party A, Party B, and Party C have all received more than 23,800 votes, so they have qualified for seat allocation. Party D, Party E, and Party F have not received enough votes to qualify for seat allocation.
Step 3: Calculate the total votes for the qualifying parties and determine their initial seat allocation.
The total votes for Party A, Party B, and Party C are 70,000 + 50,000 + 30,000 = 150,000. We can now determine the number of seats each party is entitled to using the Hare quota:
Hare quota = Total valid votes / Number of seats to be filled
= 200,000 / 10
= 20,000
Party A: 70,000 / 20,000 = 3.5 seats (rounded down to 3)
Party B: 50,000 / 20,000 = 2.5 seats (rounded down to 2)
Party C: 30,000 / 20,000 = 1.5 seats (rounded down to 1)
So, Party A gets 3 seats, Party B gets 2 seats, and Party C gets 1 seat in the initial allocation.
From this point, we may now calculate the adjusted vote count and determine the next qualifying party for the remaining seats. When we get to this point, the electoral commission would do the calculation proportionately to the votes polled by political parties and the threshold.
Finally, following the debate and recommendations made by some civil society organizations on the high electoral threshold, it is important to understand that the threshold, in general for proportional representation should be set at a level that is high enough to prevent extremist or fringe parties from gaining representation, but not so high that it restricts the fair representation of legitimate minority parties. It should also be set with the aim of promoting diversity and inclusivity in representation.
There is no one-size-fits-all threshold for proportional representation as I mentioned in my previous article. For example, some countries may have a low threshold of 1-2%, while others may have a higher threshold of 5-10% depending on the specific context and political landscape of the country or district in question. Some factors that may be considered when setting the threshold include the number of seats to be allocated, the number and size of political parties in the election, the level of political polarization or extremism in the country or district, the level of representation of minority groups, the level of voter turnout, etc.
Ultimately, the threshold for proportional representation should be set through a transparent and democratic process that involves consultation with relevant stakeholders and takes into account the specific context and needs of the country or district. A review of the 11.9% electoral threshold for a parliamentary seat would not be unpleasant.
Published: 24 March 2023