This occurs only in countries which have an electoral system based wholly or partly on party-list proportional representation.
In some countries, seats in a legislative chamber are filled solely in accordance with the share of votes won by each individual party.
Under the mixed member proportional (MMP) system, the method used in Germany and New Zealand, a merger of party-list representation and geographic representation is employed — parties contest geographic seats (districts), but are then "topped up" with members from a party list.
An open list system,[2] however, may go some way to addressing the concern that voters can only support all the candidates that were proposed by the party.
This eventually led to Rita Verdonk leaving the VVD and starting her own party.
In the latter case, Awatere Huata's former party went to the Supreme Court to expel her from Parliament under so-called waka-jumping or "party-hopping" legislation.