Preferential voting allows voters to cast their vote not only for a political party or list but also for individual candidates, increasing voters' personal choice and the personalization of politics, which emphasizes the candidates' personal qualities over collective ones. Slovenia already has the preferential voting system in local elections and European Parliament elections, but it has not yet introduced it for National Assembly elections. The thesis explores various electoral systems, the history of preferential voting, and examples of its use in other European Union countries. It also analyzes the frequency of preferential voting in European Parliament elections in Slovenia across five consecutive elections, from 2004 to 2024, and examines how this system influences the personalization of politics. The aim of the thesis is to contribute to the discussion on electoral system reforms, investigate the similarities and differences between the positions of parliamentary parties, which are crucial for the change and implementation of preferential voting and provide recommendations for the introduction of preferential voting in Slovenia's parliamentary electoral system. The thesis concludes that the preferential vote allows voters to have a greater influence on elected representatives, contributing to the personalization of elections and the accountability of elected candidates. Despite certain challenges, the introduction of the preferential vote in parliamentary elections would enhance the democratic nature of the political system and strengthen the connection between voters and their representatives.
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