Threat of extremism posed by proportional representation overstated: academics
VANCOUVER — Images of burning tires and marching soldiers flash across the screen in a video advertisement warning British Columbia voters that proportional representation provides the “perfect platform” for extremists.
As residents of the province vote in an ongoing referendum on electoral reform, the Vote No side is cautioning that the system would allow extremists to be elected with a tiny percentage of votes and hold the balance of power with “disastrous results.”
Suzanne Anton, Vote No co-director and a former attorney general in a previous B.C. Liberal government, pointed as an example to Sweden, where the far-right Sweden Democrats have roots in a neo-Nazi movement and won 18 per cent of the vote in a recent election while also picking up the third most seats in the Parliament.
“The way it plays out in these other countries is that these people can get a foothold. The way it plays out in British Columbia (right now) is that they cannot,” Anton said.