One of the most controversial issues has been the threshold set by the Electoral Code for taking part in the allocation of mandates:
The threshold for parliamentary representation is six percent for parties running individually, nine percent for electoral blocs of two parties, 12 percent for coalitions of three or more parties, and three percent for independent candidates. Mandates are awarded to parties and blocs using the d’Hondt allocation method[5], and candidates are awarded seats in the order of their inclusion on a candidate list. For a parliamentary election to be valid, there must be at least a 50 percent voter turnout. The high thresholds can lead to the non-representation in Parliament of a large part of the electorate. In the 2001 elections, the share of votes cast for contestants who failed to clear the thresholds amounted to 28.3 percent. In the 6 March elections, it dropped to 16.4 percent, to some extent due to the partial consolidation of the party system.[6]
