Have you ever wondered how the French election systems compares with the one we have in the UK? All shall be revealed!
In the UK, we have a voting system called First Past the Post (FPP). Everybody in a given constituency (voting area) votes to elect their Member of Parliament belonging to a particular political party. The MP who gets the majority of votes, will win the seat. It is important to note that the majority is a key word, given that they do not have to have over 50% of the votes. Even if an MP holds 30% of the total votes, and the others are distributed so that the other candidates each have lower than 30%, this MP will win the seat. The winning MP then represents their party in Parliament, holding a seat. Whichever party holds the most seats in Parliament will have their leader as Prime Minister.
However in France, their presidential elections run completely differently. There are two rounds which take place within a couple of weeks from each other. In the first round there are several candidates each representing the party they belong to.
[It is important to note that in France, the political parties are constantly changing. They do not have solid key parties such as Labour, Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, as we have in the UK. Candidates for the Presidential elections often present their manifestos and their political stance is deciphered from the propositions. However, the current President Emmanuel Macron was one of the first to present themselves from a centrist approach, rather than taking the side of left or right.]
After the first round of voting, the top 2 candidates who gained the most votes go head-to-head in a second round. This time, the French must decide between one of the two and oftentimes neither candidate matches the desired outcome. In the last election of 2021, Emmanuel Macron won his second quinquennat (presidency of 5 years), after winning for a second time, the second round against extreme right candidate Marine Le Pen.
The differences between the UK General Election and the French Presidential Elections are huge. In the UK, the people do not vote directly for who they wish to be Prime Minister, but they vote for who they wish to represent their constituency in Parliament. However, in France, the French people vote directly for who they wish to be the President. Some could argue the latter is more representative of the people’s views, when compared to the UK’s First Past the Post.
What do you think? Did you know that our voting systems differ so much? Which do you prefer?
