Explain confusing results

This is a query that came to my mind when browsing ‘The Island’s front-page graphic today, called ‘How they fared’. It has been gnawing at me ever since. It was a breakdown of the election results, in a summary. I’m not good at math or statistics. But I’m sure this question would have risen on many lay and simple people’s minds, after seeing it. So, please, if someone can explain it to the readers how it came about, it will do a lot of good to the unenlightened, like me.

It was a simple enough chart, showing different parties, with the number of votes won, and the resultant number of seats acquired. What is incomprehensible for me is JJB, which polled 445,958 votes ended up with three seats and ITAK polling lower, with 3,27168 votes got 10 seats in Parliament! Am I daft? Or is there a misprint of numbers? Or is there a gross misrepresentation of people? Same goes for AITC, EPDP, TMVP, OPPP, etc. All were averaging around 67,000 votes but ended up getting one or two seats. For example, EPDP polling 61,000, ended up getting the same number of seats as the JJB, which polled 445,958! I’ll be grateful if someone can enlighten me and the other readers, of this phenomenon of proportional representation.

CITIZEN S