Proportionaaliosuus

Proportionaaliosuus, often translated as proportional representation, is an electoral system where a political party's share of seats in a legislature is roughly proportional to its share of the votes cast in an election. This contrasts with plurality systems, such as "first past the post," where the candidate with the most votes in a district wins, even if they don't secure a majority.

The core principle of proportional representation is fairness, aiming to ensure that smaller parties and diverse viewpoints have a better chance of gaining representation. This can lead to more representative legislatures and governments that better reflect the electorate's overall political landscape. Different forms of proportional representation exist, including party-list proportional representation, where voters choose a party, and the party then allocates seats based on its national or regional vote share. Another variant is the single transferable vote, which is used in multi-member constituencies.

While proportional representation can foster broader political participation and reduce wasted votes, it can also lead to coalition governments, which may be less stable or slower to make decisions. The exact implementation and effects of proportional representation vary significantly depending on the specific electoral rules and the political context of a country. Many democracies around the world utilize some form of proportional representation to structure their legislative bodies.