The choice of electoral system is one of the most important institutional decisions for any democracy. Yet, in historical terms, it is rare indeed that electoral systems are consciously and deliberately chosen. Often, the choice of electoral system is essentially accidental: the result of an unusual combination of circumstances, of a passing trend, or of a quirk of history. The impacts of colonialism and the effects of influential neighbours are often especially strong. Yet in almost all cases the effects of a particular electoral system choice have a profound effect on the future political life of the country concerned, and most cases electoral systems, once chosen, tend to remain fairly constant, as political interests quickly congeal around and respond to the incentives for election presented by the system.
If it is rare that electoral systems are deliberately chosen, it is rarer still that they are carefully designed for the particular historical and social conditions present in a particular country. This is particularly the case for new democracies. Any new democracy must choose - or inherit - an electoral system to elect its parliament. But such decisions are often taken within one of two circumstances. Either political actors lack basic knowledge and information, and the choices and consequences of different electoral systems are not fully recognised or, conversely, political actors do have knowledge of electoral system consequences and thus promote designs which they perceive will maximise their own advantage. In both of these scenarios, the choices that are made are sometimes not the best ones for the long-term political health of the country concerned; at times, they can have disastrous consequences for a country's democratic prospects.
The way in which an electoral system is chosen can thus be as important and enlightening as the choice itself. There are four ways in which most electoral systems are adopted: via colonial inheritance, through conscious design, by external imposition, and by accident. We will now deal with each of these processes in turn.
