quote:
Originally posted by redshift:
. . what does the political landscape look like under a PR regime?
Excellent question. Here are the landscapes in the European Union countries that use PR, showing the number of seats held by each party.
Nine Centre-Left Governments:
Germany
Party of Democratic Socialism 2
Green Party 55
Social Democratic Party 251
Free Democratic Party (liberal) 47
Christian Democratic Union (CDU-CSU conservatives) 248
Government: Social Democrats plus Greens
Poland
Left Democratic Alliance 216
Polish Peasant Party 42
Self-Defense (radical farmers) 53
Civic Platform (liberal conservative) 65
League of Polish Families (catholic-fundamentalist) 38
Law and Justice (right-wing nationalist) 44
German Minority of Lower Silesia 2
Government: Left Democratic Alliance + Polish Peasant Party
Greece (before tomorrow's election)
Communist Party 11
Coalition of the Left and Progress 6
Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) 158
New Democracy (conservative) 125
Government: PASOK
Belgium (Note: being bi-national, it has twice the normal number of parties: French-speaking Walloon and Flemish-speaking wings of each)
Greens - Walloon (Ecolo) 4
Socialist Party - Walloon 25
Flemish Socialist Party - Spirit 23
Liberal Party - Flemish 25
Movement for Reform (Walloon Liberals) 24
Christian Democratic and Flemish 21
Humanist Democratic Centre (French Christian Democrats) 8
Vlaams Blok (right-wing Flemish nationalist) 18
National Front (right-wing French) 1
New Flemish Alliance 1
Government: Socialist - Liberal coalition
Czech Republic
Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia 41
Czech Social Democratic Party 70
Coalition (centre-right: Christian Democratic Union, People's party, Freedom Union, Democratic Union) 31
Civic Democratic Party (conservative) 58
Government: Social Democrats plus Coalition
Hungary
Hungarian Socialist Party 179
Alliance of Free Democrats (liberal) 19
League of Young Democrats - Hungarian Civic Party (centre-right) 188
Government: Socialist - Free Democrat coalition
Sweden
Left Party 30
Green Party 17
Social Democratic Party 144
Centre Party 22
Liberal Party 48
Moderate Party (conservative) 55
Christian Democratic Party 33
Government: Social Democrats (with support of Left and Greens, except on EU issues)
Finland
Left-Wing Alliance 19
Greens 14
Social Democratic Party 53
Swedish People's Party (ethnic minority) 8
Center Party 55
National Coalition Party (moderate conservative) 40
Christian Democrats 7
True Finns 3
Others 1
Government: Center Party + Social Democrats + Swedish People's Party
Slovenia
United List of Social Democrats (ZLSD, left) 11
Liberal Democrats (centre-left) 34
Democratic Party of Pensioners 4
People's Party + Christian Democrats (SLS) 9
Representatives of ethnic minorities 2
Social Democratic Party of Slovenia (centre-right) 14
Party of the Slovene Youth (liberal) 4
New Slovenia - Christian People's (centre-right) 8
Slovene National Party (nationalist) 4
Government: Liberal Democrats/Social Democrats ZLSD/ SLS /Pensioners
One all-party government
Switzerland
Labour Party (far left) 2
Green Party 13
Other left 2
Socialist Party 52
Liberal Party 4
Radical-Democratic Party (liberal) 36
Christian-Democratic People's Party 28
Evangelical People's Party (Christian Democratic) 3
Swiss People's Party (populist conservative) 55
Federal Democratic Union (Christian conservative) 2
Other right 2
Government: socialist-liberal-Christian Democratic- populist conservative
Eleven Centre-right governments
Italy
Refounded Communists 11
Olive Tree alliance 242 (Democrats of the Left, Party of Italian Communists, and other groups)
South Tyrolese People's Party (Olive Tree - German-speaking) 8
Freedom alliance 366 (conservative: Forza Italiana, National Alliance, Northern League)
Others 1
Government: Freedom Alliance
Spain
United Left 8
Spanish Socialist Workers' Party 125
People's Party (conservative) 183
Convergence and Union (Catalan Nationalist) 15
Canarian Coalition 4
Basque Nationalist Party 7
Galician Nationalist Party 3
Others 5
Government: People's Party
Netherlands
Green Left 8
Socialist Party 9
Labour Party 42
Democrats 66 (centrist) 6
Liberal Party 28
Christian Democrats 44
Pim Fortuyn List 8
Christian Union 3
State Reform Party 2
Government: Christian Democrats + Liberals + Democrats 66
Portugal
United Democratic Coalition (communist) 10
Left Bloc 3
Socialist Party 96
Others 2
Social Democratic Party (centre-right) 105
People's Party (conservative) 14
Government: Social Democratic Party + People's Party
Austria
Greens 16
Social Democratic Party 69
People's Party (moderate conservative) 79
Freedom Party (nationalist) 19
Government: People's Party and Freedom Party
Denmark
Unity List (Red-Green) 4
Socialist People's Party 12
Social Democratic Party 52
Radical Liberal Party (left-liberal) 9
Liberal Party (right-wing Venstre) 56
Conservative People's Party 16
Christian People's Party 4
Danish People's Party (nationalist) 22
Government: Right-wing Liberals and Conservative People's
Slovakia
Slovak Communist Party (unreformed) 11
SMER (social democratic) 25
Alliance for New Citizens (liberal) 15
Hungarian Coalition Party (ethnic minority) 20
Slovak Democratic and Christian Union (Christian Democratic) 28
Christian Democratic Movement 15
Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (nationalist) 36
Government (centre-right): Slovak Democratic and Christian Union, Hungarian Coalition, Christian Democratic Movement, and Alliance of New Citizens
Norway
Socialist Left Party 23
Labour Party 43
Centre Party 10
Coast Party 1
Independents 1
Liberal Party 2
Christian People's Party 22
Conservative Party 38
Progress Party 25
Government: Conservatives + Christian People's + Liberal (with support from Progress Party)
Ireland
Socialist Party 1
Green Party 6
Sinn Fein 5
Labour Party 21
Others (independents) 13
Fine Gael (moderate conservatives) 31
Progressive Democrats (right-wing liberals) 8
Fianna Fail (nationalist conservatives) 80
Government: Fianna Fail and Progressive Democrats
Latvia
For Civil Rights (left) 25
Union of Greens and Farmers 12
Latvia First Party (Christian Democrat) 10
New Era (centre-right) 26
Conservative Union for Fatherland and Freedom (nationalist) 7
People's Party (conservative) 20
Government: New Era, Union of Greens and Farmers, Latvia First, and Fatherland and Freedom
Estonia
Center Party (centre-left liberal) 28
Moderates' Party (centrist social democrat) 6
Pro Patria Union (centre-right christian democrat) 7
People's Union (agrarian) 13
Reform Party (conservative liberal) 19
Res Publica (conservative) 28
Government: Res Publica + Reform Party + People's Union
[ 06 March 2004: Message edited by: Wilfred Day ]