The case for decoupled elections

Source: The post is based on the article “The case for decoupled elections” published in Business Standard on 9^th September 2023.

Syllabus: GS 2 – Indian Polity – Comparison of the Indian Constitutional Scheme with that of Other Countries

Relevance: comparison between the Indian system and the European Union’s

News: The article provides a comparative analysis of the Indian system and the European Union.

What are the differences between the Indian system and the European Union (EU)?

States: India has 28 states and 8 Union Territories, while the EU comprises 27 countries.

Official Languages: The EU has 24 official languages, whereas India recognizes 22 languages in its Eighth Schedule and has at least 35 more seeking recognition.

Population: India’s population is about 3.5 times larger than the EU’s, with around 450 million people.

Income: India has a higher GINI coefficient with a GINI of 36 in 2019, whereas Germany and France have lower GINI coefficients (32 and 30, respectively), while Bulgaria and Lithuania have higher ones (39 and around 36, respectively).

Currency: The EU has a common currency used by 20 nations, with the option for seven more to join if they meet the Maastricht or Convergence Criteria.

Trades: The EU functions as a common market, allowing the free movement of goods and people across member countries. Labor rights include automatic residency rights, and goods can be sold anywhere within the union.

Political System: In the EU, each nation has its own political system, laws, and elections with varying polling methods. The EU mandates a secret ballot. Voting systems range from first-past-the-post to proportional representation or ranked voting.

Each nation also maintains its own parliamentary system and enacts its own laws.

The EU is governed by the European Parliament (EP) in Strasbourg, France. EP members are directly elected by citizens of member states every five years using secret ballot and proportional representation.

The EP has a key role in voting on laws, negotiating on behalf of the EU, overseeing joint institutions, questioning the central bank on monetary policy, and establishing cross-zone commissions.

After the EP passes legislation, member nations must harmonize their local laws with the EP laws. This is similar to India’s federal system, where states can make their own laws but must align them with parliamentary legislation.

However, EU member states have more flexibility compared to Indian states in this regard.

National Elections: EU member nations hold separate national elections from European Parliament (EP) elections, allowing them to prioritize local issues over pan-national matters.

India follows a similar approach, keeping state elections separate from Lok Sabha elections to maintain a clear focus on local concerns and avoid overshadowing by national considerations.

Taxes and Policies: Member states can set their income tax rates, with varying slabs. Indirect taxes are locally decided but must adhere to EU-approved value-added tax (VAT) levels.

The European Central Bank sets policy interest rates and utilizes other monetary policy tools as necessary.