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How to fix democracy: Move beyond the two-party system, experts say (washingtonpost.com)
23 points by pseudolus on March 1, 2021 | hide | past | favorite | 2 comments



I couldn't agree more if we look at recent history in the US, especially very recent history. It's not problem free but feels like it's better suited to representing the real world.

The article just very briefly mentions other countries that have this sort of system but I can say from experience that it's both good and bad. The example I've seen being Germany, where when I was there, there were at least 3 parties making up the "Bundestag". The SPD, CDU/CSU and FDP. From 1990 onwards, the Green party was added on. I haven't been in Germany for some time now but I'm still following it and now you have SPD, Linke ("the left party"), Green party, CDU/CSU, FDP, AfD and you even have some single seat from other parties/independents.

You basically have to create a coalition to get anything done, which means you _have_ to compromise (which historically meant that either the SPD had enough seats or CDU/CSU and FDP were in a coalition - with the added weirdness of the federal states' sometimes having a coalition of parties that on the federal level would 'never' happen :)).

That's a good thing (as long as it doesn't result in complete stagnation and infighting because you can't agree on a compromise).


No, to fix democracy you have to stop voting and instead select politicians by lot.

It is accepted as democratic when public offices are allocated by lot; and as oligarchic when they are filled by election (Aristotle)

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sortition

A first step in this direction is the establishment of https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizens%27_assembly , as in modern democracies like Canada, Ireland or even Mongolia. (https://constitutionnet.org/news/mongolias-flawed-experiment...)




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