PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION


Meaning of PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION in English

n [ U ]

a system used in political elections, in which the number of candidates elected for each party is decided according to the number of votes the party receives as a whole. This system is not used in Britain or the US, which both operate a first-past-the-post system, in which candidates are elected who receive the most votes in a particular area. Proportional representation is generally thought to benefit smaller parties, and is favoured by the British Liberal Democratic Party but not by the larger Conservative or Labour Parties.

Oxford guide to British and American culture English vocabulary.      Руководство по британской и американской культуре, Оксфордский английский словарь.