A constituency is any cohesive corporate unit or body bound by shared structures, goals or loyalty. It can be used to describe a business's customer base and shareholders, or a charity's donors or those it serves. The most common meaning of constituency occurs in politics and means either the group of people from whom an individual or organization hopes to attract support, or the group of people or geographical area that a particular elected representative or group of elected representatives represents. Politics Politics is the process by which groups of people make decisions The rest of this article deals with this sense of constituency.
When used specifically, a constituency usually refers to the group or area from which voters in an election are drawn. Depending on the electoral system being used, a constituency may elect one or more members. A voting system allows voters to choose between options often in an Election where candidates are selected for public office. For instance, in the United Kingdom, House of Commons Parliamentary constituencies each elect one Member of Parliament using a first past the post system (though some used to elect more than one), while the larger European Parliament constituencies each elect a number of Members of the European Parliament (see 'Regions of England'). The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The House of Commons' is the Lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a Parliament. The plurality voting system is a Single-winner voting system often used to elect executive officers or to elect members of a legislative assembly which is based on single-member The European Parliament ( Europarl or EP) is the only directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union (EU In six European Union Member States ( Belgium, France, Ireland, Italy, Poland and the United Kingdom) the national A Member of the European Parliament ( English abbreviation MEP) is a member of the European Union 's legislative body the European Parliament. The region, also known as the government office region, is currently the highest tier of local government sub-national entity of England, with only one
In Namibia and in Canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland, it is also used as an administrative division. The Canton of St Gallen (German Kanton) is a canton of Switzerland. Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation Examples of administrative divisions English terms In many of the following terms corresponding to British cultural influence areas of relatively low mean population
A marginal constituency (or "swing seat") is one where the margin between the expected voting for the major parties in an election is slim. In United Kingdom general elections, the voting in a relatively small number of marginal constituencies usually determines the outcome of the entire election. The United Kingdom has five distinct types of Elections UK general elections elections to national/regional parliaments and assemblies elections to the European Parliament Currently the most marginal UK constituency is Crawley in West Sussex where Labour have a majority of 37 votes over The Conservative Party. Crawley is a Constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Settlements Most settlements in West Sussex are either along the south coast or are situated in the M23 corridor
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Australia
List: List of Australian federal electorates
In Australia, federal constituencies are officially termed divisions, and their state counterparts electoral districts. The Australian House of Representatives is elected from 150 single-member districts called Divisions. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. At both levels, though, they are popularly referred to as electorates or seats.
Canada
List: List of Canada's electoral districts
In Canada, constituencies are legally known as electoral districts (in French, circonscriptions) for Members of Parliament and Members of Legislative Assemblies or Members of Provincial Parliament (Ontario) at the provincial level, although "constituency" and the informal term "riding" (or "comté" in French) are also used. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page An electoral district (also known as a Constituency or a riding in the Canadian English political Jargon) is a geographically-based French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people Ontario (ɒnˈtɛrioʊ is a province located in the central part of Canada, the largest by population and second largest after Quebec An electoral district (also known as a Constituency or a riding in the Canadian English political Jargon) is a geographically-based
France
see also: Constituency (France)
In France, electoral constituencies are known as circonscriptions électorales. France is divided into 577 Circonscriptions or constituencies for legislative elections This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics.
For parliamentary elections, they are known as circonscriptions législatives', and for departemental one, France uses cantons.
Germany
In Germany, there are 299 basic electoral constituencies (called Wahlkreise), accounting for half of the 598 nominal seats in the German Bundestag in a "First Past the Post electoral system". Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. The Bundestag ("Federal Diet " or "Lower House of German Parliament" is the Parliament of Germany. The plurality voting system is a Single-winner voting system often used to elect executive officers or to elect members of a legislative assembly which is based on single-member The constituencies for the rest of the seats are the federal states, representatives being drawn from the top of their respective electoral lists. Germany (Deutschland is a Federal Republic consisting of sixteen States, known in German as Länder (singular The former constituencies are divided so that each has approximately the same number of voters. German electoral law dictates that the deviation from average of all constituencies shall not exceed a certain figure (see for example § 3 Abs. 1 Nr. 3 in German electoral law). Other restrictions prevent abuses such as gerry-mandering. Gerrymandering is a form of redistribution in which electoral district or Constituency boundaries are manipulated for electoral advantage
Similar provisions obtain for many of the federal state parliaments, though constituencies are generally smaller and boundaries change more frequently. Representatives to the European Parliament are only elected by party proportion and state.
Hong Kong
The unicameral Legislative Council has 60 members, 30 returned from five geographical constituencies based on the Hare quota and largest remainder method, and the remaining 30 returned through 28 functional constituencies. The Legislative Council ( LegCo) is the Unicameral Legislature of Hong Kong. The Hare quota (also known as the simple quota) is a formula used under some forms of the Single Transferable Vote (STV system and the Largest remainder method The largest remainder method is one way of allocating seats proportionally for representative assemblies with party list Voting systems. In the political systems of Hong Kong and Macau, a functional constituency is a professional or special interest group involved in the electoral process
Iceland
In Iceland, there are 6 constituencies, which are Norðvesturkjördæmi, Norðausturkjördæmi, Suðvesturkjördæmi, Suðurkjördæmi, Reykjavíkurkjördæmi norður, and Reykjavíkurkjördæmi suður. The Icelandic word for constituency is kjordæmi.
Ireland (Republic)
Constituencies in the Republic of Ireland elect between three and five Teachta Dálas (TDs), while constituencies between 1536 and 1800 in the Kingdom of Ireland used to return two MPs. The lower house of the Oireachtas (Irish parliament Dáil Éireann, currently contains 166 Teachtaí Dála (TDs representing 43 parliamentary constituencies Ireland ( Irish: Éire, ˈeːrʲə is a country in north-western Europe. A Teachta Dála (ˈtʲaxtə ˈdɑːlə is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower chamber of the Oireachtas (Parliament of the Republic of Ireland. Year -of the Julian calendar. The Gregorian calendar was 11 days ahead of the Julian calendar until Friday, but 12 days ahead since Saturday. The Kingdom of Ireland (Ríocht na hÉireann was the name given to the Irish state from 1541 by the Crown of Ireland Act 1542 of the Parliament of Ireland.
India
In India constituency is an area, where people of this notified area elect their representative either to Lok Sabha or state legislature or local governing bodies. India has multi tier democratic system . The apex legislature body of India which form part of Union government is Loksabha ( Lower house ), then there are state legislature also called legislative assembly ( Vidhan Sabha ), then Zilla Parishad, Taluk Panchayat and Grama Panchayat. The Lok Sabha (also titled the House of the People, by the Constitution) is the directly elected Lower house of the Parliament of India The Vidhan Sabha also known as Legislative Assembly is the lower house of state legislature in India. Hence every area has a constituency under which it falls. List:List of Indian constituencies
Malaysia
There are 222 parliamentary constituencies in Malaysia. The Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Parliament of India is made up of Members of Parliament (MPs For the biogeographical region see Malesia Malaysia (məˈleɪʒə or /məˈleɪziə/ is a country that consists of thirteen states and The seats are indicated as P. xxx. Each constituency is represented by an elected Member of Parliament who sits at the lower house of the Parliament of Malaysia called Dewan Rakyat. A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a Parliament. The Parliament of Malaysia (Parlimen Malaysia is the national Legislature of Malaysia, based on the Westminster system. The Dewan Rakyat (literally "Hall of the People" or House of Representatives is the lower house of the Parliament of Malaysia. With the exception of Federal Territory parliamentary seats, these constituencies are further divided into 505 state legislative assembly districts, whose representative will sit at their respective state legislative assembly. Malaysia is a Federation which consists of thirteen '''states''' ( Negeri) and three '''federal territories''' ( Wilayah Persekutuan The state assembly seats are indicated as N. xx.
- See also: List of Malaysian electoral districts
Singapore
In Singapore, there are 14 group representation constituencies and nine single-member constituencies, giving a total of 23 constituencies. These are the list of Parliamentary constituencies followed by the state assembly districts in Malaysia Singapore Constituencies of Singapore are electoral divisions which may be represented by single or multiple seats in the Parliament of Singapore. Group representation constituencies elect between three to six MPs to the Parliament of Singapore, while single member constituencies elect one. The unicameral Parliament of Singapore is the Legislature of Singapore with the President as its head
Spain
In Spain, electoral constituencies are known as circunscripciones. Under Article 68 of the Spanish constitution [1] the boundaries must be the same as the provinces of Spain and under Article 140 this can only be altered with the approval of congress. In addition to its autonomous communities, Spain is divided into fifty Provinces. Voting is on the basis of universal suffrage in a secret ballot. Universal suffrage (also universal adult suffrage, general suffrage or common suffrage) consists of the extension of the right to vote to The secret ballot is a voting method in which a Voter 's choices are confidential Article 68 also states that the number of deputies must not be less than 300 nor exceed 400, that the enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla should be single member districts, that provinces should be guaranteed an initial minimum representation and that the electoral system should be proportional representation, although it does not specify a particular type.
Constituency magnitude has normally been small. Currently 27 of the 52 districts elect between three and five members. A further ten elect six or seven members. This has tended to favour the larger parties at the expense of smaller lists. Consequently it has been common for smaller parties to form ad hoc alliances with larger parties by forming joint lists. [2] The electoral system used is closed list proportional representation with seats allocated using the D'Hondt method. Closed list describes the variant of Party-list proportional representation where voters can (effectively only vote for political parties as a whole and thus Proportional representation (sometimes referred to as full representation or PR is a category of electoral formula aiming at a close match between the percentage of votes The D'Hondt method (mathematically but not operationally equivalent to Jefferson's method, and Bader-Ofer method) is a Highest averages method for Only lists which poll 3% or more of all valid votes cast, including votes "en blanco" i. e. for "none of the above" can be considered for seats. In practice the 3% threshold has usually been unnecessary as the effective representation threshold has been much higher. The sole exception was the 1993 election in Madrid where a minor party list lost a seat. Madrid is one of the 52 electoral districts (circunscripciones used for the Spanish Congress of Deputies - the lower chamber of the Spanish Parliament the [3]
Switzerland
In Switzerland, the Canton of St. Gallen uses the Wahlkreise (constituency or electoral district) in place of the previous, and more usual, district. Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation The Canton of St Gallen (German Kanton) is a canton of Switzerland. In contrast to centrally organised States in the federally constituted Switzerland each Canton iscompletely free to decide its own See Canton of St. Gallen#Constituencies and municipalities. The Canton of St Gallen (German Kanton) is a canton of Switzerland.
United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, a parliamentary constituency is sometimes called a Parliamentary seat or a Division. In the United Kingdom (UK, each of the electoral areas or divisions called constituencies elects one or more members to a parliament or assembly Constituencies for local government elections are called either Wards or electoral divisions. Local governments are administrative offices that are smaller than a State. In Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States, a ward is an Electoral district
As of 2005, there are 646 House of Commons constituencies in the UK:
- List of Parliamentary constituencies in the United Kingdom
- MPs elected in the UK general election, 2005 lists the constituencies after that election. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The House of Commons' is the Lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords This is a list of the 646 constituencies currently represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, as at the 2005 general election Composition Graphical representation of the House of Commons This is a comparison of the party strengths in the British House of Commons
Northern Ireland has 18 constituencies, each of which elect six MLAs to the Northern Ireland Assembly under the Single Transferable Vote system. Northern Ireland (Tuaisceart Éireann Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a Country within the United Kingdom, lying in the northeast of Legislative Assembly is the name given in some countries to either a Legislature, or to one of its chambers. The Northern Ireland Assembly ( Irish: Tionól Thuaisceart Éireann, Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann Semmlie) is the devolved Single transferable vote (STV is a preferential Voting system designed to minimize Wasted votes and provide Proportional representation
The Scottish Parliament has 73 single-member constituencies elected on a first past the post basis, with the remaining 56 seats in the parliament being selected by the Additional Member System (AMS). The Scottish Parliament ( Scottish Gaelic: Pàrlamaid na h-Alba; Scots: Scottish Pairlament) is the devlolved national unicameral The Additional Member System (AMS is a branch of Voting systems in which some representatives are elected from geographic constituencies and others are elected under Since the passage of the Scottish Parliament (Constituencies) Act 2004, the constituencies of the Scottish Parliament are no longer identical to those of the House of Commons. The Scottish Parliament (Constituencies Act 2004 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that amends the Scotland Act 1998 which established
The National Assembly for Wales has 40 constituencies elected by first past the post which are identical to the Welsh constituencies of the House of Commons. The National Assembly for Wales (Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru is a devolved assembly with power to make legislation in Wales. Its remaining 20 seats are selected by AMS.
The London Assembly has 14 constituencies elected by first past the post, described in the article on London Assembly constituencies. The London Assembly is an elected body part of the Greater London Authority, that scrutinises the activities of the Mayor of London and has the power with a two-thirds Greater London is divided into fourteen territorial constituencies for London Assembly elections each returning one member Its remaining 11 seats are also selected by AMS.
United States
In the United States, electoral constituencies for the federal House of Representatives are known as congressional districts (of which there are presently 435; the number can be increased so long as it does not exceed the constitutional limit of one per 30,000 citizens), while the constituencies for the variously named state legislatures go by a variety of names (and have differing numbers). The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The United States House of Representatives is one of the two chambers of the United States Congress; the other is the Senate. A congressional district is an electoral Constituency that elects a single member of a Congress. A US state is any one of the fifty subnational entities of the United States of America that share Sovereignty with the federal government In the United States of America, a state legislature is a generic term referring to the legislative body of any of the country's 50 states. Long standing practice, reinforced and modified by several U. S. Supreme Court decisions, require the equalization of populations of constituencies after each decennial census, a process known as redistricting. Redistricting, a form of redistribution, is the process of changing of political Borders in the United States
When driven by partisan bodies, this process opens up the possibility of gerrymandering for political or factional advantage. Gerrymandering is a form of redistribution in which electoral district or Constituency boundaries are manipulated for electoral advantage Gerrymandering cannot be used to the disadvantage of any specific racial group (e. g. , placing a predominantly African-American community in several districts to dilute the vote would be unconstitutional), but is perfectly legal to dilute the voting strength of the opposing party.
Others
Most of the rest of the Commonwealth of Nations also use constituencies as electoral divisions. For details of constituencies in these and other places see:
Synonyms
Marginal constituencies are also known as:
- Swing seats in the United States. This is a list of the 230 constituencies currently represented in the Parliament of the '''Republic of Ghana''', as at the December The Legislative Council ( LegCo) is the Unicameral Legislature of Hong Kong. Each of the 13 regions in Namibia are further subdivided into constituencies. A marginal seat is a Constituency held with a particularly small majority in a legislative Election conducted under a single-winner rather than
See also
References
- ^ Spanish Constitution
- ^ Election Resources on the Internet: Elections to the Spanish Congress of Deputies
- ^ Election Resources on the Internet: Elections to the Spanish Congress of Deputies
Dictionary
constituency
-noun
- A district represented by one or more elected officials.
- The voters within such a district.
- An interest group or fan base.
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