“An Analysis of Taiwan’s Electoral Reform in Terms of German Electoral Law Amendment: The Applicability of Mixed Member Proportional System “
Author: Tzu-chiao Su,Yu-fang Hsu
Abstract / Chinese PDF Download
Ever since Taiwan’s adoption of a Mixed Member Majoritarian system (MMM) for its legislative elections in 2008, the disproportionality between the percentage of votes and actual seats, as well as the marginalization of smaller parties which has resulted from this shift, have been heavily criticized. Those opposing the system even petitioned for a constitutional interpretation which, they hoped, would find the MMM system to be in violation of liberal and democratic principles. Among the proposed solutions, a shift to a German-style Mixed Member Proportional system (MMP) has received the most attention.
However, in framing the issue in terms of a clear-cut decision for either MMM or MMP, the debate about electoral reform in Taiwan lacks nuance. In particular, it tends to overlook the challenges which MMP has faced in Germany in the recent past. The problem of overhang seats and the connected problem of negative vote weights, in conjunction with changes in the party system, have all led to greater disproportionality. Bearing these in mind, this paper discusses the question of which electoral system best suits the needs of Taiwan, and concludes that the MMP system is not compatible with the current semi-presidential system of government. In short, it is rather more feasible to have minor reforms on the existing MMM system, instead of switching into the MMP one.