Constituency: Meaning, Types and Constituency Delineation

What is Constituency?

A constituency is an electoral district or area within a relatively known population from which one or more representatives can be elected into the legislatureThe legislative branch of government is responsible for making laws within a country. Legislatures are made up of people called legislators who, in democracies, are elected by the country’s population More.

The Electoral Commission delineates states into constituencies for electoral purposes. The population is a major factor in constituency delineation.

Types of Constituency:

There are two types of constituencies;

1. Single Member Constituency
2. Multi-Member Constituency

(1) Single Member Constituency:

Single Member Constituency is an electoral district or area that elects one member into the legislature to represent their interest. Nigeria adopts this method.

Merits of Single Member Constituency: 

(i) As the constituency is small, the electorateall the people in a country or area who are entitled to vote in an election. More will maintain a link with the elected representatives for effective representation. 

 (ii) It allows the voters to know the candidate better in order to make informed decisions during elections.

(iii) As the constituencies are small, the electorate can assess the performance of the representative and hold representatives accountable.