Jean Lambert, the Green MEP for London, will echo calls for a fairer voting system at a mass rally demanding David Cameron and Nick Clegg hold a referendum on proportional representation in London on Saturday.

The Take Back Parliament [1] demonstration in Parliament Square, which is expected to attract thousands of supporters, will send a clear message to the Liberal Democrat/Conservative coalition government that plans for a referendum on Alternative Vote do not go far enough, and only a system of real PR will satisfy the need to empower voters.

Jean, who will be one of the key speakers at the event, said: “Once again, this election demonstrated the fundamental flaws of the disproportionate first-past-the-post system. It was an election fought at the marginal seats, where the majority of voters were dis-empowered, and as a result we got a government that did not reflect how the electorate voted.

“This must not happen again. The next General Election must be under a fair voting system. People must be free to vote positively – for what they really want. That would be real political change.

“Yes a referendum on electoral reform is a step in the right direction but we need to go further, we need a system in which every vote has equal power and equal value and we can only achieve that through true proportional representation.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

[1] Take Back Parliament brings together a coalition of different groups and organisations in the call for fair votes. They include POWER2010, Unlock Democracy. Electoral Reform Society and Vote for a Change.

Take Back Parliament is not aligned to any political party – instead it seeks a fair voting system so that all parties have representation in Parliament according to the number of votes they receive.

For more information visit: http://www.takebackparliament.com/

Jean Lambert is one of eight MEPs representing London and one of two UK Green representatives in the European Parliament. Jean was first elected Green Party Member of the European Parliament for London in the 1999 European elections and was re-elected in 2009.