The Proportionality of the Salvadoran Electoral system

Abstract

The article reviews the design of the Salvadoran electoral system after the conclusion of the first legislative elections since the signing of the Chapultepec Accords in 1992 which ended 10 years of civil war. In particular, it focuses on the question of the proportionality of the system. After analyzing variables such as circumscriptions and the electoral formula, it concludes that in practice there are, under the umbrella of one electoral law, two proportional systems in El Salvador: in the two largest districts operates a pattern of representation according to a highly proportional criteria, while in the remaining districts a pattern of majority representation works. Finally, after applying the proportionality Rose index it notes that the Salvadoran electoral system belongs to the «not very proportional» group.