Why did whites in the South feel as if they had won the election of 1876 even though the new president was a Republican?

The u.s. president is elected by the electoral college, and the prime minister is the leader of the majority party elected to parliament. although neither are directly elected by the people, they are both put there indirectly by the voice of the people. do you think this is an appropriate structure for a democratic society? why or why not?