Rotten borough

In the UK, this refers to urban constituencies that were given seats during the prosperous Middle Ages, and continued to elect members until 1832, even though they lost their importance in modern times due to population decline. This term comes from Pitt the Elder, who called urban constituencies "the corrupt part of the constitution". Since the electoral system has hardly changed since the Middle Ages, there were many such constituencies in the south. Old Salem, which has become pastureland, and Dundee, which has sunk to the bottom of the sea, are famous as the most severe examples, and in the 1832 reform of the electoral law, these two and 56 other urban constituencies lost their seats. In addition, constituencies where the election results are at the discretion of certain influential people, such as corrupt constituencies, were called "nominated constituencies" or "pocket constituencies".

[Yasushi Aoki]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

イギリスにおいて、中世の繁栄期に議席を与えられ、近代に入り人口減少のため重要性を失ったにもかかわらず議員を1832年まで選出し続けていた都市選挙区をいう。この呼び方は、ピット（大）が都市選挙区をさして「国制の腐敗した部分」とよんだことに由来。中世以来選挙制度がほとんど変わらなかったため、南部にはこのような選挙区がとくに多かった。牧草地と化したオールド・セーレムや海底に没したダニッジはもっとも甚だしい例として有名で、32年の選挙法改正では、この二つをはじめとして56の都市選挙区が議席を奪われた。また腐敗選挙区など、選挙結果が特定有力者の自由になる選挙区は、「指名選挙区」とか「懐中選挙区」とよばれた。

［青木　康］

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