By IRNA,
London : A referendum on changing Britain’s discredited first-past-the-post (FPTP) system to elect parliament is to go ahead in May after a stand-off between the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
Peers in the Lords finally backed down on Wednesday after previously demanding that the result of referendum will only be binding if at least 40% of the electorate turned out to vote.
A referendum on the possibility of switching to an alternative vote (AV) system was part of a deal to persuade the Liberal Democrats join the Conservatives in a coalition government after last May’s general election resulted in no party having an overall majority.
The offer was a minimum concession to the Lib Dems, which has suffered from the FPTP system as a consequence of being Britain’s third largest party, even though any change is opposed by the Conservatives.
Labour, which like the Conservatives, has always benefitted from the current voting system, is divided on switching to AV, but in an article for the Guardian Thursday, new party leader, Ed Miliband expressed support for the change.
“My belief in a better politics is the reason why I support the alternative vote and will back the yes campaign in this coming referendum,” Miliband declared.
Under the AV system, voters rank candidates in their constituency in order of preference to ensure that anyone being elected gains an overall majority of at least 50% in first or subsequent preference votes.
The latest indications in the AV referendum campaign indicates that neither side has yet have established a crucial breakthrough, with as least a third of voters undecided and many wanting a more radical change to a more proportionate representation system.
Some commentators have suggested that the referendum could be lost if it is used by voters to express displeasure at deputy prime minister and Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg for reneging on many election pledges to join the coalition.