Cork City gets a taste for the d’Hondt system
Named after its inventor, 19th century Belgian lawyer and mathematician Victor d’Hondt, who was a professor of law at Ghent University in the 1870s, it was originally devised to ensure an equitable distribution of parliamentary seats among Catholics and Liberals, and between the different language communities in Belgium.
Today, it used by 17 EU member states for their elections (by regional or national lists) to the European Parliament.
It applies to national elections in at least 13 member states, as well as in Japan and Israel.
It is also used in the European Parliament as a formula for distributing a fixed number of official posts among political groups.
In their guide to the EU, Anthony Teasdale and Timothy Bainbridge explain how the system uses a ‘highest average’ method of calculation by dividing the total number of votes received by each party first by one, then by two, then by three, and so on, as necessary.
The resulting quotients are then ranked by size, with the order determining entitlement to the seats available.
Although the system favours larger parties, smaller political parties can form technical groupings in the counting process, ensuring that they are included when it comes to the allocation of positions.
A version of d’Hondt has been agreed by members of Cork City Council, which will see the mayoralty rotate between Fianna Fáil (10 seats), Sinn Féin (8), Fine Gael (5), and three Independents over the next five years.
The system will also be used to allocate committee chairmanships based on the sizes of the parties, including for the first time, Sinn Féin, Independents, the AAA, and the Worker’s Party.
However, unlike the Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, and Labour pact which has dominated City Hall politics for the last 34 years, there is no agreement in place now for the various votes councillors will face — from rezonings to passing the city’s budget.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
