THURSDAY, March 28, 2024
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Tough for any party to win clear majority: EC

Tough for any party to win clear majority: EC

ELECTION COMMISSION (EC) officials yesterday admitted that it would be difficult for any party to win more than half of the seats in the House of Representatives under the new election method proposed by the Constitution Drafting Commission (CDC).

To gain more than half of all the seats, a party must win more than half of the total votes nationwide, said Simira Lekphrom, deputy director of the EC’s department of election and referendum administration.
In cases where by-elections result in changes in the number of constituency MPs, the number of party-list MPs would also be affected, causing some to lose their seats, she added. Tough for any party to win clear majority: EC Simira Lekphrom
CDC spokesman Norachit Sinhaseni, however, said that according to the Constitution, although some party-list MPs could lose their positions following a by-election, they would not have to return or repay their salaries and privileges received while in office. The charter also said a recalculation as a result of any by-elections would only be allowed within the first year and after that there would be no more changes, he stressed.
The EC officials also spelled out how the MP seats would be calculated under the new Mixed-Member Apportionment (MMA) election system. Tough for any party to win clear majority: EC
Under the MMA system, the sum total of votes cast for all parties nationwide would be divided by 500 – the number of the seats in the Lower House – to find the mean number for apportioning the seats. 
The total number of votes polled by a party would be divided by the mean number. The resulting figure would be the total number of seats the party could have in Parliament.
If a party does not already have enough constituency MP candidates, the vacancies could be filled by its party-list candidates.
In the event that a party wins more constituency MPs than the seats apportioned in the House, it would keep the extra MPs. The remaining seats would be redivided for other parties, proportionate with the votes they had polled. 
Despite the complicated formula and the fact that it would make it difficult for any party to have a majority in the House, the CDC insisted that the MMA system or the single-ballot system would make every vote count.
Norachit said that the organic law on the election of MPs, which also dealt with the election method, would be submitted to the National Legislative Assembly on November 27, along with the organic law on the Senate.

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