Why should parliaments require parties to form a coalition if no party has a majority?

[Blahface]

Why should the Prime Minister have so much power and why should parties be organized so that they can create a monopoly on power that doesn't represent the whole? Is the position of Prime Minister even needed at all?

I think each cabinet position should be elected by MPs through a Condorcet method. This would provide greater separations of power in the executive branch and allow for a more fluid set of alliances for different issues.

Let's say you have three parties: A,B, and C. Party B may be a smaller party and agree with Party A on foreign policy, but they may agree with Party C on domestic policy. If the cabinet members are elected by the Condorcet method, you can have a government that more accurately reflects the MPs and in turn the citizens.

This system would be even better if they used a fair voting system like approval voting to elect the MPs which isn't so tribal and allows for personal accountability.

 

[whichphilosophy]

So what the alternative . No government at all?

 

[Blahface]

So what the alternative . No government at all?

I said what the alternative was in my post. Instead of formally having a coalition of parties, the individual MPs elect each cabinet member through a Condorcet method. That way parliament can have a more fluid set of alliances. Party A and Party B may work together on foreign policy while Party B and C may work together on domestic policy.

 

[bilby]

So what the alternative . No government at all?

I said what the alternative was in my post. Instead of formally having a coalition of parties, the individual MPs elect each cabinet member through a Condorcet method. That way parliament can have a more fluid set of alliances. Party A and Party B may work together on foreign policy while Party B and C may work together on domestic policy.

You still need a Prime Minister who holds the executive powers.

Coalitions often include ministers from many parties; so the only difference in your system is how they are selected.

A PM who can survive a no confidence motion must (if his party has no overall majority) have the support of one or more minor parties or independents.

By definition, a stable minority government is a coalition; and an unstable minority government is an election in waiting.

 

[whichphilosophy]

So what the alternative . No government at all?

I said what the alternative was in my post. Instead of formally having a coalition of parties, the individual MPs elect each cabinet member through a Condorcet method. That way parliament can have a more fluid set of alliances. Party A and Party B may work together on foreign policy while Party B and C may work together on domestic policy.

I don't think this will make much of a difference- They will still vote the same way either individually or as instructed by the party whip the latter of which many will not directly admit to. I am not sure this means the MPs vote for the cabinet members or the partnered parties are allocated places in the cabinet and fill it by voting for cabinets for each post. It will still be coalition which would not differ much from one where the leaders do the selection. If the leaders cannot choose who they want, they have lost part of their leadership function and are at greater risk of disharmony within their own parties.

 

[Blahface]

I don't think this will make much of a difference- They will still vote the same way either individually or as instructed by the party whip the latter of which many will not directly admit to. I am not sure this means the MPs vote for the cabinet members or the partnered parties are allocated places in the cabinet and fill it by voting for cabinets for each post. It will still be coalition which would not differ much from one where the leaders do the selection. If the leaders cannot choose who they want, they have lost part of their leadership function and are at greater risk of disharmony within their own parties.

What exactly do you mean by “vote the same way?” You can vote the same way with using IRV and ranked pairs, but you can get completely different results.

Individuals MPs won't necessarily vote in line with the party. They might in PR list systems, but in countries like Australia, there is a little bit more individual accountability. If an MP's constituency doesn't like the ranking order he gives in the election for the Minister of Health, they can hold him accountable for it.

Even in a situation in which each MP votes in lock step with the party, electing ministers through a Condorcet method can make a profound difference.

Under the current system there would either need to be a coalition between party A and B or a coalition between party B and C. One party must get left out.

Under my proposal, you can have a “coalition” between party A an B on foreign policy and a “coalition” between party B and party C on Domestic policy. Instead of one party being left out of the coalition completely, you have all parties apart of some kind of “coalition.”

 

[Blahface]

You still need a Prime Minister who holds the executive powers.

Why? Why not have a greater separation of powers within the executive branch and allow each minister be the head of his own domain?

Coalitions often include ministers from many parties; so the only difference in your system is how they are selected.

Selection method makes a huge difference in who gets the position. Just because you have a few token slots given to members within the coalition doesn't mean that that candidate best represents the parliament as a whole.

A PM who can survive a no confidence motion must (if his party has no overall majority) have the support of one or more minor parties or independents.

By definition, a stable minority government is a coalition; and an unstable minority government is an election in waiting.

Many candidates can potentially have the support of the majority. Why not have a selection method that allows all MPs to have a say instead of just the MPs from the coalition?

I don't know too much about the party politics within Israel, but according this article the Arab parties are basically kryptonite and having an official coalition with them is not an option. If the Knesset were to elect each cabinet member through a Condorcet method, they will have at least some say in government.