Practicing Success

Target Exam

CUET

Subject

Political Science

Chapter

Election And Representation

Question:

In the PR system used in countries like Argentina and Portugal, how are constituencies structured?

Options:

Single-member constituencies

Multi-member constituencies

Proportional constituencies

None of the above

Correct Answer:

Multi-member constituencies

Explanation:

The correct answer is Option 2 - Multi-member constituencies

In Argentina and Portugal, the PR system involves dividing the country into several multi-member constituencies where multiple representatives are elected from each constituency.

Israel follows a very different system of elections from that of India. In Israel once the votes are counted, each party is allotted the share of seats in the parliament in proportion to its share of votes. Each party fills its quota of seats by picking those many of its nominees from a preference list that has been declared before the elections. This system of elections is called the Proportional Representation (PR) system. In this system a party gets the same proportion of seats as its proportion of votes. In the PR system there could be two variations. In some countries, like Israel or Netherlands, the entire country is treated as one constituency and seats are allocated to each party according to its share of votes in the national election. The other method is when the country is divided into several multi-member constituencies as in Argentina and Portugal. Each party prepares a list of candidates for each constituency, depending on how many have to be elected from that constituency. In both these variations, voters exercise their preference for a party and not a candidate. The seats in a constituency are distributed on the basis of votes polled by a party. Thus, representatives from a constituency, would and do belong to different parties. In India, we have adopted PR system on a limited scale for indirect elections. The Constitution prescribes a third and complex variation of the PR system for the election of President, Vice President, and for the election to the Rajya Sabha and Vidhan Parishads.