[News Terms] New General Election Method? 'Regional Proportional Representation System'

The 'regional proportional representation system' is a method of electing proportional representatives by dividing the entire country into several regions. The number of seats per region is allocated according to population proportion, and those seats are distributed based on the party vote share. However, proportional representatives are filled from the remaining candidates excluding those who won constituency seats.

The core of the 'Resolution on the Improvement of the National Assembly Election System,' approved by the National Assembly Special Committee on Political Reform's Subcommittee on Political Relations Law Improvement on the 17th, is the regional proportional representation system. Speaker Kim Jin-pyo announced that starting from the 27th, a plenary committee involving all 300 members of the National Assembly will be convened to reach and process a consensus.

The proposed regional proportional representation system in the resolution divides the country into six regions: Seoul, Incheon·Gyeonggi, Chungcheong·Gangwon, Jeolla·Jeju, Gyeongbuk, and Gyeongnam. The total proportional seats are divided by region, and proportional seats are allocated according to the party vote share in each region. However, under the current Public Official Election Act, only parties that receive at least 3% of the national vote or win at least 5 constituency seats can secure proportional seats.

Speaker of the National Assembly Kim Jin-pyo, People Power Party floor leader Joo Ho-young, and Democratic Party floor leader Park Hong-geun are meeting at the Speaker's office in Yeouido, Seoul on the 20th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

The regional proportional representation system is classified into 'parallel type' and 'linked type.' The parallel type multiplies the party vote share by the total proportional seats per region; if a major party secures many constituency seats and has a high party vote share, it also gains many proportional seats.

The linked type multiplies the total proportional seats per region by the party vote share in that region, but if a particular party fails to secure the number of constituency seats corresponding to its vote share in that region, the shortfall is compensated with proportional seats. However, if that party wins more constituency seats than its proportional seat allocation in a specific region, the proportional seats for that region are eliminated. Reducing the linkage ratio of constituency seats to 50% results in a 'semi-linked type.'

There are numerous issues to be agreed upon, such as whether to increase the total number of assembly members, whether to adopt the regional parallel type, regional linked type, or regional semi-linked type, the ratio between constituency and proportional representatives, and the number of seats per region.