Acceso usuarios
Santiago, Chile
Este trabajo describe los diferentes sistemas electorales utilizados en Chile desde 1833.Se hace nfasis en lo difcil que result cambiarlos una vez adoptados y luego se analizanlos orgenes del sistema electoral actual. Se seala que el sistema binominal puede ser entendidocomo un seguro contra la derrota, ya que crea barreras difciles de superar paraun partido que busca transformar su mayora electoral en un control mayoritario de esca-os. Se muestra que la Concertacin ha tenido muchos problemas para transformar sumayora electoral en mayora en el legislativo. Se utilizan simulaciones electorales paramostrar que la coalicin de derecha obtiene un porcentaje mayor de escaos con el sistemabinominal que con cualquier nmero alternativo de escaos por distrito.
This paper discusses the electoral rules used in Chile since 1833, highlighting how difficultit was to change them after first adopted. It is then analized the current system,emphasizing its strengths and weaknesses. It is argued that the current system can be bestunderstood as an insurance against an electoral defeat since it imposes high thresholds on aparty that seeks to transform its electoral majority into a commanding majority of seatsin the legislature. It is shown that the Concertacin has found it difficult to transform itselectoral majority into a majority control of the legislature. Using electoral simulations, itis shown that the conservative coalition (given its share of votes) gets a larger share ofseats with the current system than with any other alternative district magnitude.
