Home > 3.2 Proportional systems > Report on Proportional Electoral Systems: The Allocation of seats inside the lists (open/closed) lists
 
 
 
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Paragraph 48
 

In four countries, the voters can mix candidates from lists of different parties. This is not common in national elections. This is called the cross-voting system or panachage. Only Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco and Switzerland use cross-voting in national elections. In these countries, voters can insert on a party list, candidates from other lists and cross-out other candidates. Voters choose their preferred party list that they rearrange as they like: candidates from other lists may be inserted and others cancelled and replaced or not. The voters have as many nominative votes as there are seats to be filled in the constituency. Regarding the seat allocation, for the four countries, the candidates of the other lists take the vote, and the parties’ votes go to the list of the selected candidates. In Switzerland, voters can also form their own lists on a blank ballot paper. On the basis of the number of mandates obtained, the candidates from each list that have received the highest number of votes shall be elected.”