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Deciding on the Electoral System: Chile's Adoption of Proportional Representation in 1925

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Ricardo Gamboa  and
Mauricio Morales
Ricardo Gamboa
Affiliation:
Institute of International Studies, University of Chile. rgamboa@uchile.cl
Mauricio Morales
Affiliation:
School of Political Science, Universidad Diego Portales. mauricio.moralesq@mail.udp.cl
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Abstract

In 1925 a new electoral system was introduced in Chile. This reform changed the electoral formula from a cumulative voting system to a proportional one (d'Hondt) and established new rules about district magnitude and form of voting. It has been argued that this reform was motivated by the emergence of new parties or the expansion of the electorate. This article offers an alternative explanation: in the case of Chile, the main reason for the electoral reform was the parties' need to solve problems of strategic coordination stemming from the characteristics of the Chilean cumulative voting system. In this context, the Chilean case shows that there are many routes to proportionality.

Type
Research Article
Information
Latin American Politics and Society , Volume 57 , Issue 2 , Summer 2015 , pp. 41 - 66
Copyright
Copyright © University of Miami 2015

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