How e dey work, well well
Each voter pick one list, no mixing. Di list wey lead collect 50 % of di seats one time — na di majority bonus.
Dem share di remaining 50 % proportionally among ALL lists wey pass di threshold, including di leading list, wey therefore collect far pass im share of votes.
For municipal elections, second round dey happen if no list reach absolute majority, and qualified lists fit merge — na why negotiation between rounds important well well.
Example wey get figures
Twenty seats, three lists, majority bonus of 50 %.
| List | Votes | Bonus | Proportional | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 45 % | 10 | 4 | 14 |
| B | 35 % | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| C | 20 % | 0 | 2 | 2 |
- List A, wey lead, collect 10 out of 20 seats one time.
- Dem share di remaining 10 seats proportionally among di three lists.
- A get 14 seats out of 20, na 70 % of di assembly with 45 % of di votes.
Di distortion no be mistake: na di whole point of di mechanism. Governing majority dey come out di same night, and di price wey dem accept na say di other lists no get full representation.
Where e come from
List voting with majority bonus na di law of 19 November 1982 fix am for French communes of 3,500 people and above; e end pure majority list voting and bring small proportionality.
Anoda law, of 31 December 1982, create di special regime of Paris, Lyon and Marseille (dem call am PLM), with elections by sector — mechanism wey don several times produce mayor wey no lead di city-wide vote.
Dem extend di principle go regional elections, with bonus reduced to 25 % of seats, through di reforms of 1999 and 2003. Di logic no change: to arbitrate openly between representation and power to govern. Last last, di law of 21 May 2025 comot di threshold — since di March 2026 municipal elections, every commune dey vote by list, and panachage don finish.
Where dem dey use am
- French municipal elections — for every commune since di 2025 reform.
- Regional elections, with 25 % bonus.
- To elect committee or board from competing slates.
- Any assembly wey must represent people and still fit decide.
Limits and wahala
- E give stable majority to govern
- E still represent minority
- One ballot, very simple
- E over-represent di winning list well well
- Di list leader hold plenty power
- Di 5% threshold comot small lists
Questions wey people dey ask
Why majority bonus?
To avoid councils wey no fit govern. Without am, commune fit spend six years without stable majority. Na governability choice, wey dem pay with representation.
Di leading list dey collect proportional seats too?
Yes. E collect di bonus AND im proportional share of di remaining seats, na why e dey often reach 70 % of di assembly.
E dey useful outside municipal matter?
Anytime you dey elect team wey must work together, no be independent individuals. For plain options, e too much.
Sources
Di main books and papers wey dis page stand on.
- Loi n° 82-974 du 19 novembre 1982 modifiant le code électoral et le code des communes relative à l'élection des conseillers municipaux et aux conditions d'inscription des Français établis hors de France sur les listes électorales, Légifrance, 1982. ↗
- Code électoral, article L. 262 (prime majoritaire de la moitié des sièges), Légifrance, en vigueur. ↗
- Loi n° 82-1169 du 31 décembre 1982 relative à l'organisation administrative de Paris, Marseille, Lyon et des établissements publics de coopération intercommunale (régime dit « PLM »), Légifrance, 1982. ↗
- Loi n° 2013-403 du 17 mai 2013 (seuil du scrutin de liste abaissé à 1 000 habitants), Légifrance, 2013. ↗
- Loi n° 2025-444 du 21 mai 2025 visant à harmoniser le mode de scrutin aux élections municipales (extension du scrutin de liste paritaire à toutes les communes, fin du panachage), Légifrance, 2025. ↗