What is a con of the First Past the Post electoral system?

The First Past the Post electoral system has a significant drawback in that it often leads to an imbalance between the number of seats won by a party and the proportion of the total votes they receive. This system awards victory to the candidate who receives the most votes in a constituency, without requiring a majority. As a result, a party can secure a substantial number of seats in parliament with far less than an outright majority of the overall vote. This means that a party could win a majority of seats while receiving only a minority of the popular vote nationwide, leading to a lack of proportionality in representation.

This imbalance can disenfranchise voters, as those supporting losing candidates in various constituencies see their votes effectively count for nothing in terms of parliamentary representation. The distortion of voter sentiment into seats can lead to situations where smaller parties struggle to gain representation despite potentially having a considerable share of the national vote, further complicating the political landscape and public trust in the electoral process.