Observation

This was a popular question and the candidates that answered it did very well. They understood the demands of the question and scored good marks. However, some of the candidates scored low marks in part (b) by giving skimpy answers without further explanations. The candidates wrote some of the following points as answers to the question:

(a)        This is an electoral system in which the candidate with the highest number of votes is declared the winner in an election.

(b)        (i)         Sometimes it works against the wishes of the majority of the voters.
(ii)        Smaller parties have little chance of winning election.
(iii)       The system does not reflect clearly the strength of the political parties.
(iv)       It is undemocratic because the combined votes of losers may exceed                       that of         the winner.
(v)        It gives a wrong impression about the popularity and legitimacy of the winner.
(vi)       It promotes ethnicity in national politics.
(vii)      It may encourage the election of mediocre candidates.
(viii)     It is easier to manipulate / rig elections conducted under this system.
(ix)       It gives room for gerrymandering.