Single-seat elections
First past the post (FPTP)
FPTP is a single-winner election system where the candidate who receives the most votes in an election wins the seat. In parliamentary elections, the country is divided into single-seat constituencies where each constituency returns one member of parliament.
Under FPTP, the winner does not need an absolute majority to win the election, as long as the winner wins the most votes. In many democracies, this has the effect of producing two large parties of the centre-left and centre-right. Votes for parties outside of these two are sometimes seen as counterproductive “spoilers” because candidates can siphon votes from their more viable alternatives and throw the election to the opposing major party.
A general exception to this rule in parliamentary elections emerges when regional parties are strong in individual constituencies or where party systems are weak. In the latter case, local patronage networks frequently result in the election of independent candidates or minor parties centered around specific individuals.
Examples: Botswana, Nigeria, Kenya
Two-round system (TRS)
TRS is a single-winner election system similar to first-past-the-post. The key difference is that, if in the initial election, no candidate wins more than 50% of the vote plus one vote, the two candidates with the highest number of votes advance to a second round of voting, usually conducted a few weeks after the first round if needed.
Some countries, like Nigeria, elect their president using a modified runoff rule where the lead candidate must earn at least 25% of the vote and win ⅔ of the states.
Two-round elections for president are common throughout Africa and generally favor the participation of multiple candidates. Because voters can have the opportunity to influence the final result if a runoff is needed, this reduces the likelihood that a “spoiler” will emerge, which is lower than under FPTP.
Examples: Central African Republic, Gabon, Comoros
Multi-seat Elections
Plurality at large voting (aka. “Bloc voting”)
Plurality at large voting is similar ot first past the post, only the number of seats available per district is greater than one. Voters get as many votes as there are seats to be elected. This has a very similar effect to first-past-the-post, only the candidates of the party winning the plurality are all elected.
Examples: (See “Other Hybrid Systems”)
Party-bloc voting
A variant of plurality at large voting, the party bloc uses party lists instead of voting for an individual candidate. In these districts, parties come up with lists of candidates they want to be elected. Whichever party list wins a plurality in that district, all of the candidates on the list are elected. Like plurality at large voting, party-bloc voting tends to have similar effects to FPTP.
Examples: (See “Other Hybrid Systems”)
List Proportional representation
Party lists are the most common form of proportional representation in Africa. Proportional representation is a principle where a party’s share of the vote matches the share of the seats won. If party A wins 10% of the vote, the party gets 10% of the seats.
Before the election, parties generate lists of candidates they would like to see elected in order. If a party won 7 seats in an election, then the top 7 candidates from that party’s list are elected.
There is often a distinction between open and closed lists. With a closed list, voters do not influence the order of candidates on the party list. An open list system, by contrast, offers voters at least some influence, though the degree of which can vary widely.
Finally, many proportional representation elections make use of electoral thresholds, which means that only parties receiving above a certain share of the vote are awarded seats. If a party or parties fail to meet this threshold, the seats are divided among the remaining parties that did win seats.
Examples: Angola, Sierra Leone, South Africa
Mixed Member Majoritarian (MMM)
MMM is a blending of proportional representation and plurality systems. There are essentially two classes of seats up for election. The first set, elected by either plurality rules or two round system, is elected independently of the other class, which tends to be elected through party lists, often reserved for women to meet gender or youth quotas.
Examples: Tanzania, DRC, Zimbabwe
Other hybrid systems
Some countries use a unique mix of systems. Most prominent of these are Cameroon and Chad that combine elements of party bloc voting and single-winner constituencies, while others like Egypt and Cote D’Ivoire use a mix of the different plurality systems.