Party list proportional representation is an electoral system in which seats are first allocated to parties based on vote share obtained in an election, and then assigned to party-affiliated candidates on the parties' electoral lists. For example, if a party earns 39% of the votes, it should get roughly 39% of the seats.

Section 38A of the 1991 Constitution of Sierra Leone, provides that where there are no established constituencies in accordance with subsection {3} of section 38 for the purposes of parliamentar y election, such election can be conducted on the basis of the district block representation system instead of constituencies.

The District Block System is a form of PR in which an entire district a becomes a single constituency/ward which returns multiple members, as opposed to a single-member constituency/ward.

In this electoral system, each of the 16 districts in the country is taken as a block (district con sidered a constituency/ward) and allotted a number of seats based on the the population quota.

In the District Block PR System (with Party List) the election shall be contested in each specified district by political parties and independent candidates for the block of seats in Parliament and Council allocated to each district by the Electoral Commission.

Seats will be allocated based on each party's proportion of the total valid votes in a district. Once a political party or independent candidate meets the threshold of 11.9% for parliament and 4.5% for local councils, the Commission shall assign the number of seats won to the political party in the district/locality.

Where the seat of a political party candidate becomes vacant in Parliament/Council, the vacancy shall be filled by the person next-in-line on the endorsed list of the candidate's political party. If the vacant seat was occupied by an independent candidate, that seat will then go to a candidate of the political party with the highest remainder in the formula for apportioning seats.

• INCLUSIVENESS: Gives opportunity to smaller political parties and Independent Candidates to have a seat in Parliament or Local Council
• Cost Effective: With no bye election, PR IS cost effective saving millions of Jeanes that could be spent on conducting bye elections
• Reduces Wastage of Votes: Unlike First-Past the Post where a candidate is elected with a small number of votes leaving all other votes unused, PR uses most of the votes cast in determining percentage of seats won.
• High Turnout: PR encourages high voter turnout and avoids apathy beca use voters know that all votes count.
• National Cohesion: It builds unity as it limits the issue of party strongholds as it all parties have the potential of winning a seat everywhere in the country.

No region will ever find itself shut out of the government. Every region will have representation in both government and opposition, strengthening their voice in the parliament.

No. With PR, incentives for political behaviour changes. Instead, parties are motivated to show voters they work productively together on a shared policy agenda.