As the law abolishing the mixed vote—which had been cited as an obstacle to holding local and general elections on the same date—passed through Parliament, it is too late to debate over the pros and cons of the mixed vote.
The important question now is: what will be the tendency of voters who cast a mixed vote?
I am seeking an answer to this question by drawing on my own thoughts and the discussions I have had with those who say they use the mixed voting system.
UBP, DP and YDP, who brought the bill to abolish the mixed vote system to the agenda and secured its passage through parliament, saw this as the surest way to facilitate the holding of both elections on the same date; in doing so, they were even prepared to risk the potential loss incurred by holding the two elections on separate dates, namely the possibility that those who used the mixed vote system might shift their support to the opposition.
People generally do not wish to say which party they will vote for (apart from party loyalists). Therefore, given that the mixed voting system has been abolished, instead of asking 20 people, “Which party will you vote for?”, I asked them, “Which party will you not vote for?”. The answer was clear: “I will not vote for UBP”. From this response alone, it is clearly evident that the UBP has taken a step back relative to its rivals following the abolition of the mixed voting system. Subsequently, when asked who they were likely to vote for, the majority replied, “The opposition”, whilst a small proportion stated quite clearly that they would not be going to the polls.
According to the findings of a small-scale direct survey of voters who used the mixed voting system, CTP stands to benefit most from the abolition of the mixed voting system. UBP stands to lose the most. Because whilst the likelihood of a mixed-vote user voting for the party that has governed the country for the past five years is already low under normal circumstances, if the voter reckons that ‘their right to vote has been taken away’, do you think their hand will reach for the UBP ballot paper?...
We know what the intention is. Either they have taken this step whilst weighing up the possible consequences, or they are, through a lack of foresight, helping their rivals to gather votes… Because since yesterday, CTP has gained the upper hand – and thanks to its rivals, no less…
