Andorran Government Rejects Concordia's Electoral Reform Proposal

The Andorran government issued a negative assessment on Thursday of a qualified law proposal by the Concordia parliamentary group to reform the electoral system, cautioning that open lists in parish constituencies could cause excessive fragmentation of the General Council and undermine governability.

Led by Cerni Escalé and presented nearly a month ago, the initiative—Concordia's tenth this term—aims to amend Qualified Law 44/2022 on the electoral regime and referendums. It calls for proportional representation with open lists across the seven parishes, combining single-nominal candidacies in multi-member districts. Key changes include scrapping signature requirements for candidacies and tweaking gender parity rules, letting voters select individuals instead of closed party lists to boost turnout, enhance representation, and address abstention trends.

The executive commended Concordia's detailed analysis, constitutional compliance—including dual constituencies, parity between them, and equal rights for councillors—and its potential to give voters strong influence in parish elections while easing the majoritarian bias of the current single-round simple majority system. It noted the proposal draws from pre-constitutional open-list ideas but introduces a "radical" design that invites vote-splitting.

However, the government warned of substantial downsides in Andorra's weakly institutionalized party system. Lowering signature thresholds could spark a surge in candidates, leading to winners elected on tiny vote shares—potentially filling the chamber with independents or local personalities lacking national focus. This might blur party lines, spill fragmentation into the national constituency, fuel personal rivalries over policy debates, and weaken structured political projects.

Without substitutes for territorial councillors, their move to government roles could disrupt parliamentary majorities, the executive added, calling this "politically inadequate" and possibly violating constitutional equality between territorial and national representatives. It questioned claims of clear links between open lists and higher turnout, citing limited academic evidence, and noted the proposal overlooks similar voter empowerment in the national list.

The current hybrid model, bolstered by 2022 reforms, already ensures balanced representation and stability, the government maintained. While deeming Concordia's effort legitimate, it viewed the overhaul as too sweeping without prior broad technical, political, and institutional consensus. The executive invited ongoing debate and signalled openness to future changes built on such groundwork.