Proportional Electoral System with Open Lists: Analysis on the Example of Cherkasy City Council

Abstract

Based on the analysis of the electoral system used in local elections in communities with more than 10,000 voters, the main consequences of the application of the new electoral legislation in the formation of the deputy corps are highlighted on the example of Cherkasy City Council election results: in this proportional system with open lists voters could not influence the formation of the deputy corps of the Cherkasy City Council due to the consolidation of the guaranteed mandate, the application of an additional qualification barrier, as well as the distribution of mandates in a single electoral list without taking into account the preferences of voters.

It is proved that the lists of political parties have not become open in practice. It was found that most deputies of the city council received seats on a single party list, although they were not elected in the constituencies. It was found that the place in the top five in the single party list provided a mandate to those who received minimal voter support.

It was verified that competition between candidates from one party within one territorial constituency significantly increased the total number of votes per party, but did not secure a mandate for two candidates in any constituency in the city. It has been shown that the gender quota has contributed to an increase in the number of women in the Cherkasy City Council from 10 to 26%.

The purpose of the article is to analyze the results of the elections to the Cherkasy City Council and to determine the main trends in the formation of the deputies on the basis of the Electoral Code of Ukraine.

In accordance with the purpose of the article, the author analyzed the lists of political parties that participated in the election of deputies to the Cherkasy City Council and overcame the 5% barrier. The official results of the Cherkasy City Council elections in the territorial constituencies and in the city as a whole were also analyzed.

Based on the norms of the Electoral Code, which regulate the establishment of voting results and distribution of parliamentary seats, two types of candidates have been identified – newly elected deputies of the Cherkasy City Council: those who received a mandate due to voter support; those who won a seat due to a place in the top five of the single list of a political party. Candidates who did not receive a mandate but received significant electoral support were also singled out.