Citizen participation in the political arena is influenced by various factors, including the type of electoral system, which is evident in the elections for the Islamic Consultative Assembly (Parliament). Therefore, this research aims to explore the impact of the electoral system on citizen participation in parliamentary elections. The central question of this study is: What are the disadvantages of the majority electoral system for the Islamic Consultative Assembly, and which alternative model is more desirable? The findings of the research indicate that the proportional electoral system and its variants encourage institutional, organizational, and awareness-based participation with a partisan outlook. In contrast, the majority electoral system promotes mass participation without organizational discipline. Although the majority electoral system has played an important role in citizen participation in parliamentary elections over several decades, due to the significant role of institutions and organizations such as political parties and the shift from tribal-based approaches to partisan ones, the proportional electoral system offers greater advantages for enhancing citizen participation. Participation within a proportional electoral system can be based on planning, party laws, and their extension to various decision-making and election organizing sectors, which are essential for citizen participation in the fourth decade of the revolution. Additionally, the proportional electoral system stimulates participation among various popular groups, including ethnic, religious, and class-based groups, who, even without the complete success of their party or list, are motivated to join the electoral contest. This research is qualitative, and the methodology is comparative, conducted using library and documentary tools.
Introduction
Citizens' participation in the political arena is influenced by various factors, including the type of electoral system that can be observed in the elections of the Islamic Consultative Assembly. Accordingly, the present study also seeks to discuss the effect of the electoral system on the level of citizen participation in the elections of the Islamic Consultative Assembly. Therefore, the present study, by understanding the various factors and conditions that can affect the political participation of citizens, has paid attention to the variable impact of the electoral system so that it can be used to diagnose the pathology of the current electoral system of the Islamic Consultative Assembly on a case-by-case basis and also provide the basis for proposing theoretical discussions to present an alternative or implement it in the field of parliamentary elections. From this perspective, the approach of the present study is a type of pathology and future-looking. Because it both observes the role of the majority electoral system in the field of elections of the Islamic Consultative Assembly and, by studying the shortcomings and shortcomings of this type of electoral system, it seeks to propose a solution to increase political participation by selecting a new type of electoral system (proportional). In addition, in the discussions raised, both quantitative and qualitative participation and effectiveness in the framework of the elections of the Islamic Republic will be discussed in terms of deepening religious democracy and creating an incentive for citizens to influence to have a seat in the parliament through the selection of the desired candidate. The question is what are the disadvantages of the majority electoral system for the Islamic Consultative Assembly and what is the desired alternative model?
Materials and Methods
The present research is of a qualitative type and the method of work is also a comparison that was carried out using library and document tools.
Discussion and Findings
Citizens' political participation in various fields, including the field of elections, is affected by various factors, one of which is the type of electoral system. The results of the present research have shown that the electoral system can have consequences for citizen participation in both quantitative and qualitative terms. Therefore, in the elections of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, which have been majority-based since the beginning of the revolution, a decline and decrease in political participation has often been observed after each period. Therefore, the technical mechanism for holding elections has played an important role in this regard, which has led to the superiority of the majority over the minority, lack of competition, inactivity of parties, and a tendency towards massification, and increased social divisions. Accordingly, an alternative model for holding elections to the Islamic Consultative Assembly that can replace the majority electoral system has been observed by inferring and analyzing the disadvantages of the majority electoral system in the areas of inactivity of parties and candidate-centricity, lack of motivation on the part of minorities in a constituency to have a seat in the Assembly, and resorting to ethnic and religious divisions to gain votes. From this perspective, a proportional electoral system can, while supporting party lists and lists, enhance the role of these vital institutions within the framework of the constitution. Just as the issue of citizen participation in terms of quantity and quality is also very important, changes will also occur in the field of permanent superiority of the majority; meaning that with the defeat of a party in the election, all candidates belonging to the party are not eliminated from the field and can occupy the seat in the Assembly according to the proportion of votes obtained. Therefore, the incentive to compete through the hope of winning seats for minority groups increases. Therefore, a proportional electoral system will significantly increase the level of citizen participation. The desire and willingness of citizens to participate in the election arena, especially minority groups, which is due to the sense of their objective influence on the election arena over a period of forty years (eleven terms of the Islamic Consultative Assembly), which is due to the sense of their objective influence on the election arena, can be achieved in a proportional electoral system. Therefore, unlike the majority that failed to maintain participation at a desirable level in the elections of the eleventh term of the Assembly, the proportional electoral system has characteristics such as activating the role of parties, creating an incentive to compete, and encouraging citizens and candidates to have seats even in the event of loss, which can be considered by election legislators. Another advantage that a proportional electoral system entails is the qualitative change in participation from mass to discipline from an organizational and institutional perspective by enhancing the role of political parties, which is one of the requirements of governance in the fourth decade of the Islamic Revolution of Iran.
Conclusion
The results of the study showed that the proportional electoral system and its variants encourage institutional, organizational participation and are based on party awareness and attitude, but the majority electoral system seeks to promote citizen participation in a mass manner and without organizational discipline. Although the majority electoral system has played an important role in people's participation in parliamentary elections over the decades, due to the important role of institutions and organizations, including political parties and the transformation of tribal approaches into partisan ones, the proportional electoral system has better benefits for people's participation in elections. Participation in the proportional electoral system can be based on planning, party rules, and its extension to various decision-making and election holding sectors, which are essential for citizen participation in the fourth decade of the revolution. Also, the proportional electoral system stimulates the participation of popular groups, including ethnic, religious, and strata, who enter the election campaign in the hope of winning seats even if their party or list does not win completely.