Recently, the country has witnessed a political movement led by seven Islamist parties, united in their demand for, among others, the adoption of a Proportional Representation (PR) system. True enough that the current “First-Past-The-Post” (FPTP) voting system, according to many, has stifled political diversity and marginalised smaller parties. Many analysts believe that adopting a PR system instead of the current FPTP system will better reflect the opinions of the people. Yet, while these calls for reform are rooted in legitimate concerns about political fairness and accountability, it is crucial to critically assess whether the PR system, successful elsewhere, is the appropriate solution for Bangladesh’s unique political context.

There is no doubt that many developed and stable democracies use the PR system. For example, in countries such as Germany, New Zealand, Sweden, etc., this system has ensured the correct representation of the different ideologies and interests of voters. This is why some experts think that introducing a similar system in Bangladesh will help increase people’s confidence in voting and the value of each vote will be maintained.

However, reality and global experience show that the PR system is not suitable but rather risky in Bangladesh’s political landscape.

Firstly, in our country, people still expect services from roads, schools, hospitals to personal recommendations directly from members of parliament (MPs), though they are supposed to engage themselves in policymaking in developed countries. Although not ideal, the PR system will significantly disrupt this flow of communication. Because a member of parliament is not accountable to the people of his specific constituency but is elected from the party list, there is no direct relationship between voters and public representatives in this system.

Secondly, a key problem of the PR system is political fragmentation, or “party fragmentation”. Real examples of this can be seen in countries like Israel or Italy, where the PR system results in many small parties entering parliament and coalition governments having to be formed repeatedly. In Bangladesh also, if small parties enter parliament through the PR system, government formation and maintenance will become more complicated and political instability will increase as tensions and distrust between political parties are already at an all-time high here.

Thirdly, the successful implementation of the PR system requires a neutral and transparent Election Commission (EC), accountability in the process of preparing party lists and full public confidence in the results of the vote. But doubts about the independence of the EC and allegations of corruption in party nominations have a long history in Bangladesh. We have seen many times that there have been allegations of party nomination trading, lobbying and even financial transactions. There were extensive discussion and criticism about the nomination of Awami League candidates in the 2018 elections. If the PR system is introduced now, the entire electoral list will be prepared in a secret, centrally determined and opaque process. This will make it unclear who the people’s votes are going for. While this problem still exists in FPTP elections, the PR system can compound these problems.

Fourthly, the PR system would benefit urban voters more than rural ones. Although cities like Dhaka and Chittagong are already dominated by big parties, independent or local leaders from smaller towns can win seats under the FPTP system. But if seats are distributed in proportion to party strength under the PR system, the opportunity for such independent or grassroots leadership to emerge will be largely lost, reducing their chances of entering parliament to almost zero. This may reduce the grassroots strength of local politics.

Finally, simplicity and people-orientated character are the biggest strengths of the FPTP system. There is no denial that many voters in our villages are still marginalised and have limited to no education. Understanding the PR system, list-based voting and the complexity of the results of that vote can be an obstacle to the political participation of these groups.

The PR system is successful in many countries due to their improved political culture, institutional capacity and transparency. However, the political reality of Bangladesh has not yet reached this stage. Therefore, before changing the voting system, we should ensure the independence and effectiveness of the EC, establish party democracy and increase voter awareness. Although there is an attraction to the PR system, the need of the hour is not to change the voting system but to improve the quality and environment of voting. The PR system is not a surprise, but the real practice of democracy is imperative to make it functional.

So, strengthening local governments is more important than changing the voting system right now, for this is one of the means of direct communication with the people, providing an opportunity to solve people’s problems quickly and effectively. If the local government remains weak, it will not have much impact on the lives of the common people. The main foundation of democracy is the participation and empowerment of the people, which is established through local government. Therefore, ensuring the autonomy and effectiveness of our local government before changing the electoral system will be more fruitful for the political development of Bangladesh.

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The writer is an Editorial Assistant at Daily Sun