LEYTE NORMAL UNIVERSITY | Fundamentals of Political Science

POLSCI 101 | 1ST SEMESTER | A.Y. 2021-2022 |

Module 4
Module 3 deals with suffrage, electoral systems, party system, interest groups. Emphasis is given to the
meaning and scope of suffrage, various types of electoral systems, and institutions of direct democracy
present in the Philippines. This module also attempts to discuss the different types of party systems and the
party system that is used in the Philippines. Similary, this delves into the importance of interest groups in a
democratic society.

Learning Outcomes Key Terms

1. Explain the meaning and scope of suffrage plebiscite

suffrage; plurality recall
2. Identify and explain the various election initiative
electoral systems; and
referendum interest groups
3. Discuss the nature of political parties
political parties party system
and interest groups.
legislature democracy

proportional representation

single member districts

multimember districts
 On the Spotlight: Lesson 1

Suffrage

• Meaning of Suffrage
Suffrage is the right and obligation to vote of qualified citizens in the election of certain
national and local officers of the government and in the decision of public questions
submitted to the people.
• Scope of Suffrage
Under the Constitution, suffrage includes:
1. Election – Strictly speaking, it is the means by which the people choose their
officials for definite and fixed periods and to whom they entrust, for the time
being as their representatives, the exercise of powers of government.
2. Plebiscite- It is the name given to a vote of the people expressing their choice for
or against a proposed law or enactment submitted to them. In the Philippines,
the term is applied to an election at which any proposed amendment to, or
revision of, the Constitution is submitted to the people for their ratification.
Plebiscite is likewise required by the Constitution to secure the approval of the
people directly affected before certain proposed changes affecting local
government units may be implemented.
3. Referendum- It is the submission of a law or part thereof passed by the national
or local legislative body to the voting citizens of a country for their ratification or
rejection.
4. Initiative- It is the process whereby the people directly propose and enact laws.
Congress is mandated by the Constitution to provide as early as possible for a
system of initiative and referendum. Amendments to the Constitution may
likewise be directly proposed by the people through initiative.
5. Recall- It is a method by which a local public officer may be removed from office
during his tenure or before the expiration of his term by a vote of the people after
registration of a petition signed by a required percentage of the qualified voters.
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On the Spotlight: Lesson 2

Electoral Systems

Electoral systems determine how votes are cast and counted. The most employed is
proportional representation (PR). PR relies upon multimember districts (MMDs) where
the percentage of votes a party receives in each electoral district corresponds to the
percentage of seats allocated to each party in the legislature (O’Neil et. al., 2010). PR systems
allow for a wider range of political interests as it provides greater chances for smaller parties
to gain seats in the legislatures.

While most countries use PR, others rely upon single-member districts (SMDs). SMD
only allows one representative for each constituency. This representative is the candidate who
gained the greatest number of votes, regardless whether it is a majority or not, in his/her
electoral district (McCormick, 2010). Votes casted for other candidates are wasted in SMD
because they do not count toward any representation in the legislature unlike in PR. However,
SMD systems connect voters with electoral representatives which in turn encourages
representatives to be more accountable to the electorate.

Other countries have employed a mixed electoral system. This is a combination of

SMD and PR voting systems where voters vote for a candidate and for a party (O’Neil et. al.,
2010). Through SMD, candidates win based on plurality. Other seats are elected from MMDs
and are allocated using PR.
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On the Spotlight: Lesson 3

Political Parties and Interest Groups

A political party is an organized group of individuals who agree on a common political

principles and platform in seeking to control the powers of government to serve national
interest and to enjoy the benefits derived from such control (Ayson & Aligada-Reyes, 2000).
It has three functions: (1) win elections, (2) determine public policy, and (3) control
government. The party system is the greatest manifestation of democratic process for it
allows individuals to freely express their choices through their participation in politics such as
casting out votes. The people’s freedom of expression, as the essence of democracy, lead to
a plurality of ideas present in a party system.

There are two kinds of party systems. On one hand is the multiparty system which is a
scheme of party alignment in which there are several parties in a state (McCormick, 2010).
Each party has its own membership, identity or label, ideology, programs and policies. Another
is the two-party system in which there are two major parties in the state with nearly equal
membership and political strength (O’Neil et. al., 2010).

Philippines has its own multiparty system. But it faces the following problems:

 Political parties end up forming coalitions

 Party lines mean nothing

 Personality game

 They cannot keep dissension private

 It is all motherhood statement

 No policy in the ranks

 Lack of consensus within the parties

Interest groups, on the other hand, are private organizations that acquire direct political
significance. As such they make attempts to influence the course of public policy through
mobilizing voters, putting direct pressure on elected officials, and lobbying (Ayson-Aligada-
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Reyes, 2000). Interest groups are a potent force in making democratic government work
effectively to promote the welfare of the people. They strive to represent the interests of the
people, especially the minority groups and the marginalized to which the political system
must respond. It is the inevitable responsibility of interest groups of giving representation to
those interest while stimulating interest and participation in the electoral process. Interest
groups promotes pluralism in policy-making process and offer more opportunity for
participation in politics. However, some interest groups are so powerful and rich in resources
that they dominate other interest groups thereby putting the interests of the poor and the
marginalized in the side lines.

The 1987 Constitution of the Philippines, particularly Article 2 Section 1 and Article 3 Section
4, provides legal bases of political parties and interest groups.
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Think Out of The Box!

I. Directions: Identify the electoral systems employed by the states below.

State Legislative-Executive Electoral System

System
1. United
Presidential
States
2. United
Parliamentary
Kingdom
3. Russia Semi-Presidential
4. Philippines Presidential
5. Germany Parliamentary

II. Directions: Write at most three advantages and disadvantages of each

party system.

Party System Advantages Disadvantages

Multi-party

Two-party

One-party
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Processing question:

1. What type of party system would make for the best government? Why?

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Rubrics:

Organization and clarity: 5 points

Support and development of ideas: 10 points
Insight to the subject: 5 points
Total: 20 points

References

Ayson F. G. and Aligada-Reyes, D. (2000). Fundamentals of Political Science. Valenzuela City:

National Bookstore.
McCormick, J. (2010). Comparative Politics in Transition. Boston: Wadsworth
O’Neil, P. H., Fields, K., Share, D. (2010). Cases in Comparative Politics. New York: W. W.
Norton & Company.
1987 Philippine Constitution.