SS2 First Term Government Lesson Note – Electoral Process

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WEEK 1

TOPIC: REVISION/ELECTORAL PROCESS.

CONTENT:  

(a) Election: meaning, purpose and types.

 (b) Suffrage/Franchise: meaning, history and types. 

Sub-Topic 1: ELECTIONS

Meaning and purpose of Elections:

Election is defined as the act of electing candidates to represent the people   of a given country in the parliament, the executive and into other positions in government as stipulated in the constitution of that particular country. It can also be defined as the process of selecting the peoples’ representatives in democratic process.

The main purpose of election is to choose the candidate that will represent the people in political offices. Elections allow the people to choose between two or more alternatives and to declare their support for one person or idea against the other.

TYPES OF ELECTION

There are two major types of election namely: Direct election and indirect election.

Direct Election: This can be defined as a type of election in which the electorates of a country choose and cast their votes directly to select their representatives. Direct election is very democratic in the sense that it allows mass participation in election and gives the citizens a sense of belonging as they choose their leaders. Many countries of the world have adopted this type because it creates good relationship between the voters and their representatives. Direct election is associated with the principle of one man one vote, in which every voter has only one vote to cast and each vote is equal to the other.

Indirect Election: this refers to the system where the eligible voters select representatives who would make selection of leaders on their behalf (i.e. the Electoral College). The people do not vote directly for their representatives. Here the voting is done in stages. The voters elect those who would finally vote for those to represent them. Indirect election was practiced in Nigeria in 1977 when the elected councilors in turn elected members of assembly constituent. Most countries that use parliamentary system of government use the indirect election. For instance, in Britain, the people elect the members of parliament who will then elect the prime minister on

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