UPSC CSE Main Answer 2022 Paper 2
Question
Critically examine the procedures through which presidents of India and France are elected.
Answer
The president of India is elected by an indirect election, i.e., by an electoral college consisting of the elected members of both houses of parliament and the elected members of the legislative assemblies of all the states and union territories. The president of France is elected by a direct election, i.e., by the people themselves.
The president of India is elected by a system of proportional representation using the single transferable vote and the voting is by secret ballot. The president of France is elected by a two-round system, also known as runoff voting, where only the two candidates with the most votes qualify for the second round.
The president of India is required to be backed by at least 50 electors as proposers and 50 as seconders, and must deposit a security amount of Rs 15,000¹⁴. The president of France is required to be backed by at least 500 elected representatives, and must deposit a security amount of €15,000.
The president of India must be above 35 years of age, must be a citizen of India, and must be eligible to be a member of the Lok Sabha. The president of France must be above 23 years of age, must be a citizen of France, and must have completed their civil and political rights.
The president of India is the nominal head of state and exercises his powers on the advice of the prime minister and the council of ministers. The president of France is the pre-eminent figure in French politics and appoints the prime minister and chairs the cabinet meetings.
Critically examining the procedures, some possible points are:
The indirect election of the president of India ensures that he represents the federal character of India and reflects the diversity and plurality of its people. However, it also makes him dependent on the support of political parties and reduces his direct accountability to the people.
The direct election of the president of France ensures that he has a popular mandate and legitimacy to lead the nation. However, it also makes him vulnerable to populist pressures and polarisation, and may create conflicts with other institutions such as parliament or judiciary.
The proportional representation system used in India ensures that every vote counts and that no candidate can win without securing a fixed quota of votes. However, it also makes the election process complex and cumbersome, and may result in fragmented outcomes or hung elections.
The two-round system used in France ensures that only candidates with broad support can win and that voters have a clear choice between them. However, it also makes the election process costly and time-consuming, and may exclude candidates with niche or minority support.