The subject of the article is the types of electoral systems. Each electoral system has some specific characteristics that help to classify them in a certain system. Domestic and foreign scholars have different approaches to this issue. The author offers an optimal classification of electoral systems. In the article the author dwells on the essence of the world’s election systems, as well as on their features, advantages and disadvantages.

Having studied the mechanisms of each electoral system and compared them, we agreed to highlight their advantages and disadvantages.

Independently of the type of electoral system, it is impossible to exclude unwanted, and sometimes destructive, effects altogether while its usage. Therefore, there is no perfect electoral system.

The greatest advantage of using plural and majoritarian electoral systems is the formation of a stable government and effective interaction between voters and candidates selected from the constituency. The disadvantage of this system is a significant distortion of population’s real political mood.

The proportional electoral system adequately reflects the picture of the citizens’ political preferences, but can not ensure the stable work of the government, and also makes elected deputies “dependent” not from voters, but from party leadership.

In order to maintain positive and eliminate negative aspects of each mentioned electoral systems, mixed electoral systems are created.

Key words: electoral system, proportional electoral systems, majoritarian electoral systems, mixed electoral systems, representative democracy.

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