A party-list system is a type of electoral system that formally involves political parties in the electoral process, usually to facilitate multi-winner elections. In party-list systems, parties put forward a list of candidates, the party-list who stand for election on one ticket. Voters can usually vote directly for the party-list, but in other systems voters may vote directly for individual candidates within or across party lists (such systems are referred to as open list and panachage),[1] instead of voting directly for parties (mixed electoral systems).
Most commonly, party-list systems refer to party-list proportional representation, but there are other electoral systems using party-lists including the general ticket (party block voting) and mixed electoral systems.[2] Not only are not all party-list systems proportional, not all proportional systems are party-list systems. Candidates who won their seats from a party-list are called list MPs.