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.