Question

Explain the major features of democracy

Answer 1

Answer:

Some of the major features of a democracy are:

The final decision making power rests with those elected by the people.

It must be based on a free and fair election.

Each adult citizen must have one vote and each vote must have one value.

It should rule within limits set by constitutional law and citizens' rights.

Answer 2

Answer:

Democracy (Greek: δημοκρατία, dēmokratiā, from dēmos 'people' and kratos 'rule'[1]) refers to a form of government in which the people either have the authority to choose their governing legislators, or the authority to decide on legislation. Who is considered part of the people and how authority is shared among or delegated by the people has changed over time and at different speeds in different countries, but more and more of the inhabitants of countries have generally been included. Cornerstones of democracy include freedom of assembly and speech, inclusiveness and equality, membership, consent, voting, right to life and minority rights.

The notion of democracy has evolved over time considerably. The original form of democracy was a direct democracy, in which the people directly deliberate and decide on legislation. The most common form of democracy today is a representative democracy, where the people elect representatives to deliberate and decide on legislation on their behalf, such as in parliamentary or presidential democracy.[2]

Prevalent day-to-day decision making of democracies is the majority rule,[3][4] though other decision making approaches like supermajority and consensus have also been integral to democracies. They serve the crucial purpose of inclusiveness and broader legitimacy on sensitive issues—counterbalancing majoritarianism—and therefore mostly take precedence on a constitutional level. In the common variant of liberal democracy, the powers of the majority are exercised within the framework of a representative democracy, but the constitution limits the majority and protects the minority—usually through the enjoyment by all of certain individual rights, e.g. freedom of speech or freedom of association.[5][6]