Home > 1.2 Equal suffrage > Report on Electoral Law and Electoral Administration in Europe
 
 
 
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Paragraph 264
 

Sometimes there also strong demands for a better representation of national minorities in parliament. In such cases, the electoral systems may facilitate the minority representation, for example through the use of PR systems in nation-wide or in large multi-member constituencies (without a high threshold of representation). However, also PR list systems in small multi-member districts or even plurality/majority systems in single-member constituencies may ensure minority representation if the minorities are territorially concentrated. Delimitation of single-mandate constituencies in areas with high concentrations of minority communities may ensure their representation. Moreover, the candidacy and voting form may have an influence on minority representation. When lists are not closed, a voter's choice may take account of whether or not the candidates belong to national minorities. With closed lists, it depends on the parties if they put candidates of national minorities in prominent positions on the parties’ lists. Furthermore, in some countries (e.g. Poland and Germany), there are “threshold exemptions” for candidates lists or parties representing national minorities. In any case, in countries with under-represented national minorities, revisions of the electoral system and the re-drawing of boundaries should not go ahead without proper consideration of national minorities’ representation.