D- The below was put on the Canada Votes email list ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) on Nov. 29, 1999 by Mr. Frampton (not me). ------ Saturday's election in New Zealand shows just how much -- or perhaps that should be how little -- ability the voters have to remove an MP under the Mixed Member Proportional system. Eight incumbent electorate (i.e. constituency) MPs who ran for reelection were defeated -- but five of them won List seats based on their party's share of the overall vote and are therefore still in Parliament!! Here is a list of who they are, their constituency and how they fared: National Party: David Carter - Banks Peninsula * Belinda Vernon - Maungakiekie * Max Bradford - Rotorua * Marie Hasler - Titirangi * Bob Simcock - Hamilton West Ian Revell - Northcote New Zealand First: Jenny Bloxham - Dunedin South ACT: Richard Prebble - Wellington Central * * denotes winners of List seats Bob Simcock was just below David Carter on the National list, so he would have stayed in Parliament if National had qualified for any more List seats! Presumably he would take the place of any National List MP who might step down before the next election. This shows a major flaw of MMP -- and any other mixture of constituency and list systems. MPs defeated at the constituency level can -- and very often do -- get right back in by winning a List seat. This violates the basic principle of representative government my effectively preventing the voters from removing an MP who has lost their confidence. Bill Frampton Vice-President Freedom Party of Ontario http://www.freedomparty.org/ [EMAIL PROTECTED]