Last week over 8 million Iraqis turned out to elect a 275-member parliament, and in doing so became another success story for full representation voting systems.

Elections were conducted using a national party list; instead of voting for individual candidates, citizens cast ballots for political parties who were allocated seats in proportion to their share of the vote. The system maximized the number of groups which could win representation in the legislature.

With full representation, 95% of voters saw the party they chose gaining a seat. Because of its inclusiveness, Iraq's voting system could be integral to keeping the unstable country in one piece.

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