Home > 3.2 Proportional systems > Report on Electoral Law and Electoral Administration in Europe
 
 
 
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Paragraph 256
 

There is a controversial debate on legal thresholds of representation. It refers to the legally established minimum share of valid votes that parties must obtain in order to participate in the distribution of seats. The principal aim of such thresholds is to avoid party fragmentation and to enable stable governments by excluding minor parties when translating votes into seats. This is a legitimate aim. From the perspective of inclusiveness, however, high legal thresholds, especially at the national level, might be problematic. For instance, the national threshold of 10% valid votes cast in Turkey – which is the highest in all Council of Europe member states – has been widely criticised, also by PACE.