Evaluating Hungary's Mixed-Member Electoral System
نویسنده
چکیده
The electoral system adopted by Hungary in 1989 represents a monument to the potential for institutional design through bargaining to produce complex yet stable institutions. The key compromise reached during this bargaining process was the decision to use the mixed member system, electing a roughly even measure of representatives from both majoritarian single-member districts (SMDs) and from multi-member, list proportional representation (PR) districts. This decision established Eastern Europe's rst mixed-member electoral system, a format to become common in post-communist electoral systems. In its nearly ten year existence, Hungary's dual-ballot system has operated in three elections and seen three di erent parties come to power. In this paper I evaluate the consequences of the institutional choice to use the mixed-member system, examining its role in Hungary's contemporary political system, discussing its perception by both elites and voters, and nally pointing to its long-term prospects.
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