THE Green Party has proposed PR voting for the Northern Ireland peace process election, combined with a list system to ensure a chance for small parties. There would also be a 40 per cent minimum level for either gender.
The party also calls for a role in any elected body for a small number of parliamentarians from Westminster and Dublin. A case could be made also for the involvement of members of the European Parliament.
The proposals are designed "not only to ensure that whatever body emerges can bear no relation to the old Stormont but also to create a new model for electoral and decision making processes".
Under the Green proposals five members would be elected to each of the 18 constituencies used for the Westminster elections by PR single transferable vote as in the Republic's elections.
Parties which do not win a seat in the constituencies but which get "at least 1 per cent support province wide will then be represented by an additional member chosen from previously submitted gender balanced lists".
The "non executive talks" following the election would be limited to a maximum of two years. The talks would "practise an advanced form or power sharing and should result in "proposing possible solutions to the constitutional question".
If these proposals receive overall support of 75 per cent, they would then be put to the people, North and South, "in a binding ratification of the peace process".
The Greens also propose that at the start of the all party talks, a panel of three non members would be selected as independent, non voting chairpersons. They would try to ensure that all decisions were "taken in consensus". Outside persons and groups would be allowed to make submissions.