New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has expressed openness to a referendum on the country’s electoral system, sparking debate. The country currently uses a mixed-member proportional (MMP) system, which has been in place for three decades.

How it Works

Under MMP, voters cast two votes: one for their preferred constituency candidate and one for a party. The candidate with the most votes wins and becomes an MP, while the party vote decides how many seats each party gets in parliament.

The winning candidates of the country’s 71 constituencies take their seats automatically, while the remaining seats are filled from party lists, allocated to match each party’s share of the nationwide vote. A party or bloc can form a government when it secures a majority in the single-chamber parliament, usually at least 61 of 120 seats.

Political parties must get at least 5% of the party vote or win at least one electorate seat to get any seats in Parliament. There are expected to be about 49 list seats in this election, though that number can change.

Quirks

Since MMP was first used in New Zealand in 1996, minor parties have often played a decisive role in the formation of the government. New Zealand First has been the most prominent kingmaker, backing National after the 1996 election and Labour after the 2017 election.

Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.