Hanging together

In the spate of elections across the globe throwing up hung legislatures or minority governments,it is easily forgotten that hung parliaments and coalition governments without any causal relation between them characterised electoral democracies in the early 20th century. Post-World War II,that trend continued in many states,where coalition is usually the norm Germany,the Scandinavian and Benelux countries,Israel,Italy,Japan,etc; and perhaps it is here to stay here in India. But a hung parliament,as a technicality,evokes a sense of unease in states not very used to it,thanks to the uncertainty of government formation. Last Mays general election produced the UKs first hung parliament in decades,and the coalition government is still around its 100-day milestone. Canadas present parliament is a hung one,as were the last two. Germany till last October had a four-year grand coalition.

Now,Australia is set to elect its first hung parliament since 1940. Voting is compulsory in Australia,and this election had intensely engaged the public in debate. The Labor administration witnessed an internal coup in June when Kevin Rudd was removed as prime minister and Julia Gillard took over,seeking a fresh mandate. The reason why a swing has deprived Labour of a majority is the disappointment with Rudd. This verdict is being interpreted as one against big government while Labour is credited with saving the economy from the global meltdown,Rudd went on a personal crusade against capital and on a government spending spree. This Australian election may tie up with a European trend of the recession not helping centre-left parties.

In any case,a hung parliament or coalition government,when it functions,is perhaps the healthiest sign of democratic maturity. Voters increasingly make pragmatic,non-ideological choices,and the fragmentation of the vote shows the complexity of the collective thought process.