Home > 3.2 Proportional systems > BULGARIA- Joint Opinion on the Draft Election Code
 
 
 
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Paragraph 22
 

III. Electoral system


A. The system of representation for the National Assembly and the Grand National Assembly









The rules described in Annex No 1 also indicate a problem when adjusting the results in constituencies to fit overall national results of electoral contestants. First, the nationwide distribution to parties is established according to the Hare-Niemeyer method. Then the results are calculated based upon the constituency results and added up. This may not produce the already established national distribution. It then becomes necessary to adjust the local results to fit the overall results. This process is rather complicated, including a stepwise calculation of results in the multi-member constituencies. For each step, each party’s sum from the constituencies is checked against the party’s nationwide result. If a party has the correct national result, it is excluded from the process. The procedure ends in Section X of Annex No. 1 with a final subtraction and addition of seats at the constituency level in order to reach the desired nationwide result. In a constituency, a political party having a surplus of seats with the weakest mandate of the party is removed and the seat is given to a party in the same constituency which is supposed to have more seats. The problem is that there will not always be such a party in the constituency. The rules provide no solution should this situation occur. Annex No 1 has introduced procedures which may reduce the risk for this situation to occur, but it is still possible. Among other options to avoid such deadlock situations, the possibility to change from a largest remainders’ method to a divisors’ method may be explored. If the largest remainders’ method with Hare’s quota is kept, a modification to the definition of the quota with an accurate calculation could be considered. The Venice Commission and the OSCE/ODIHR recommend the annex be amended to include procedures which will address these possibilities.