Félix Bautista proposes replacing D’Hondt method for elections

Senator Félix Bautista has submitted a bill to the Senate of the Republic proposing the elimination of the D’Hondt method for electing deputies, councilors, and municipal district officials. The initiative seeks to replace the current system with a simple majority principle, where candidates with the highest number of valid votes in their respective demarcations are elected.

Bautista argues that the current mechanism does not ensure a direct correspondence between individual votes and seat allocation. He contends that the D’Hondt method can lead to disproportionate results, potentially allowing candidates with fewer individual votes to be elected over those with higher counts due to how party votes are aggregated. The proposal includes repealing Law 157-13 and modifying the Organic Law of the Electoral Regime 20-23 to strengthen the direct nature of the suffrage.