Party-list system

{{Short description|Type of electoral system}}

A party-list system is a type of electoral system that formally involves political parties in the electoral process, usually to facilitate multi-winner elections. In party-list systems, parties put forward a list of candidates, the party-list who stand for election on one ticket. Voters can usually vote directly for the party-list, but in other systems voters may vote directly for individual candidates within or across party lists (such systems are referred to as open list and panachage),{{cite web|title=Proportional Representation Open List Electoral Systems in Europe|url=http://www.ifes.org/~/media/Files/Publications/White%20PaperReport/2009/Proportional_Representation_Open_List_Electoral_Systems_Europe.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141224074108/http://www.ifes.org/~/media/Files/Publications/White%20PaperReport/2009/Proportional_Representation_Open_List_Electoral_Systems_Europe.pdf|archive-date=2014-12-24|publisher=International Foundation for Electoral Systems}} instead of voting directly for parties (mixed electoral systems).

Most commonly, party-list systems refer to party-list proportional representation, but there are other electoral systems using party-lists including the general ticket (party block voting) and mixed electoral systems.{{cite web|title=Proportional Representation Systems|url=https://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/polit/damy/BeginnningReading/PRsystems.htm|work=mtholyoke.edu}} Not only are not all party-list systems proportional, not all proportional systems are party-list systems. Candidates who won their seats from a party-list are called list MPs.