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First-past-the-post is so named because a candidate has only to win more votes than his nearest competitor to take the riding, not an absolute majority of the votes cast. The most direct consequences is to exaggerate the majority enjoyed by the winning party, often grotesquely, with less than half the popular vote, governments have been formed with nearly all of the seats. Those who defend the "first-past-the-post"system described in the excerpt claim that such a system ultimately preserves government Stability Responsiveness Frugalness Accountability

Question

First-past-the-post is so named because a candidate has only to win more votes than his nearest competitor to take the riding, not an absolute majority of the votes cast. The most direct consequences is to exaggerate the majority enjoyed by the winning party, often grotesquely, with less than half the popular vote, governments have been formed with nearly all of the seats. Those who defend the "first-past-the-post"system described in the excerpt claim that such a system ultimately preserves government Stability Responsiveness Frugalness Accountability

First-past-the-post is so named because a candidate has only to win more votes than
his nearest competitor to take the riding, not an absolute majority of the votes cast.
The most direct consequences is to exaggerate the majority enjoyed by the winning
party, often grotesquely, with less than half the popular vote, governments have
been formed with nearly all of the seats.
Those who defend the "first-past-the-post"system described in the excerpt claim
that such a system ultimately preserves government
Stability
Responsiveness
Frugalness
Accountability

Solution

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KayaMaster · Tutor for 5 years

Answer

Stability.<br /><br />First-past-the-post systems tend to produce single-party governments with clear mandates, even if that party doesn't win a majority of the total votes. This is often argued to lead to greater stability compared to coalition governments that can be more fragile and prone to collapse.<br />
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