A number of countries which are governed by non-parliamentary executive branches also allow for parliamentary representation by various forms of proportional representation. While proportional representation tends to be associated with, and is mostly practiced in, countries which are governed by a parliamentary system, a number of theoretical benefits are accrued from the usage of PR in legislatures which are not charged with designating the executive head of government:
Contents
- List of presidential systems with proportional representation
- List of semi presidential systems with proportional representation
- References
However, it may also result in a number of drawbacks. Most notably, presidents may have a hard time forming effective ruling coalitions from the diverse parties in parliament as they have no need to form coalitions to elect a prime minister. This can result in extreme gridlock and potentially presidents trying to govern from outside of normal politics. It may also be associated with presidential candidates that are not associated with any party, but who are essentially celebrity candidates.
This hybridization is most common in South and Central America; it was also partially used in Israel for its 1996 election in which the then-prime minister, Shimon Peres, was directly elected by popular vote, but was reverted to a parliamentary system following the 2001 election after it failed to produce more stable governments (which may be due to a continuing dependence upon parliamentary cross-party mandates) and led to an intense party fragmentation in the Knesset.