Canadian here that's curious about your country's electoral system. Overall, what do you feel has been the effect of proportional representation on your country's politics?

I'm intrigued because the current government of Canada has pledged that our most recent election in 2015 will be the last under the first past the post voting system (FPTP) and they have initiated a process to determine what will replace it, with proportional representation being a likely contender.

If you have the time time, I'd love for you to answer some questions. (Note: I'm actually in favour of PR, so please don't take these questions as an indication of me criticizing your system)

  • Do you feel that it has caused instability, political stalemate, and frequent elections?

  • Some people in Canada have criticized proportional representation for enabling parties with extremist viewpoints to enter parliament and wield disproportionate influence. What do you think about such criticisms?

  • Your country uses the open list form of proportional representation. What is the effect of your country's open list system on the relevancy of the local MP/candidates for parliament?

  • How often has the voters’ preferences on the party list overrided the default order set by the party on the list?

  • How frequently do your MPs go against party lines, and what has happened to those that did?

  • Do you think the electoral threshold in your country is at an appropriate level?

  • Are there any substantial groups in your country that want to switch over to FPTP?

  • What do you think of the single transferable vote system?

  • Do you feel that most voters understand how your electoral system works?

  • Has your country ever changed its electoral system before (even minor changes are welcome as answers) and if so, did such changes require a referendum to go through; do you think one is necessary if your country changes its voting system?

/r/sweden Thread