Duvergerin

Duvergerin is a term that refers to a supporter or proponent of Duverger's Law. Duverger's Law is a principle in political science that posits a strong correlation between a country's electoral system and its party system. Specifically, it suggests that plurality (or first-past-the-post) electoral systems tend to produce two-party systems, while proportional representation systems tend to produce multi-party systems.

A "Duvergerin" would likely argue that the structure of an electoral system directly shapes the political landscape by influencing voter behavior and the strategic decisions of political parties. They might point to countries with plurality systems, such as the United States and the United Kingdom, as examples of how this law often plays out in practice, with a dominance of two major political parties. Conversely, they might cite nations with proportional representation, like many European countries, to illustrate the emergence of a wider array of parties represented in their legislatures.

The underlying logic is that in a plurality system, voters are incentivized to vote for the perceived winner to avoid "wasting" their vote on a candidate unlikely to succeed. This discourages support for smaller parties. Similarly, political elites in such systems are discouraged from forming new parties because they face a high barrier to entry and significant challenges in gaining traction against established parties. A Duvergerin accepts this relationship as a fundamental aspect of electoral politics and its impact on democratic outcomes.