Understanding the D’Hondt Electoral System: Vote Calculation Explained
The D’Hondt electoral system has been a hot topic of conversation in Turkey just days before the 14 May 2023 Presidential and Parliamentary Elections. But what exactly is the D’Hondt system, and how are votes calculated using this method?
Named after the mathematician Victor D’Hondt, the D’Hondt system is one of the methods used to determine the number of deputies to be distributed to the parliament. According to experts, this model makes it more advantageous for parties included in alliances to enter the elections with a joint list, as each party will be able to elect deputies based on their own number of votes.
In previous elections, the number of deputies to be elected by the parties was determined by the total votes of the alliance. However, with the D’Hondt system, parties will elect deputies with their own number of votes. If a party does not receive enough votes to remove a deputy, according to the number to be found with the D’Hondt system, that vote will not be written to the alliance’s register as “no more votes” as before. In a sense, it will go to waste.
With the 2023 Presidential and Parliamentary General Elections, the D’Hondt system has once again come to the forefront, as the number of deputies to be elected by the parties in these elections will be determined by this method. It remains to be seen how this system will impact the outcome of the upcoming elections, but one thing is certain – the D’Hondt system is certainly worth keeping an eye on.
