What is democracy ???
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Answer:
Demos suggest people and cratia suggest power. Therefore democracy is power of people. Abraham Lincoln defined it as,“Government of the people, by the people and for the people.”
Features of Democracy
Rule of representatives elected by people: In democracy, decision making is done by elected representatives, so real power is in hands of elected representatives. But in many countries elected representatives do not have whole power to make decisions. In some of countries decisions are taken by military officers, which are not elected by people, also, decisions are taken under influence of external powers. Thus, real powers are not in hands of representatives. Therefore, representatives must be elected by people and real power must be given to these representatives.
Free and Fair elections:In China elections are held in every five years. But only members of Communist Party of China, are allowed for contesting the elections. As a result, every time government is formed by Communist Party. In Mexico, elections occurs regularly in 6 years , but due to pressure of Institutional Revolutionary Party, government officers, teachers and media are forces to vote for same party. As a result, till 2000 Institutional Revolutionary Party has established government every time. This shows that, for democracy there is need for free and fair elections. For true democracy, people should contest elections and vote fearlessly. Therefore, democracy must based on free and fair elections where people have right to remove those in power and choose new representatives.
Universal adult franchise with each vote having equal value: In United Arab Emirates women do not have right to vote. However, in Russia, rules were that minority people do not have right to vote. Moreover, in Fiji there are Indigenous Fiji people and Indian Fiji people. For electing representatives, the vote of indigenous Fiji has more value than Indian Fiji. Here, it can be observed that though all people have right to vote, the value of vote is not same.
Fundamental rights and Protection of freedom: Fundamental Rights are the legal provisions made by legal system of the country, for the protection and freedom of the citizens. Some of these includes freedom of thinking, freedom of expression, freedom to form association, freedom to criticize, freedom to get justice. However, legal provisions are also made, so that the elected government cannot misuse the power. The elected government has given certain rights by constitution and the law. Thus, it can be concluded that democratic government, facilitate their rule in country and it is controlled by constitution and the citizen of the country.
Democracy is a system of government that bases its legitimacy on the participation of the people. While democratic governments come in many varieties, they are uniformly characterized by (1) competitive elections, (2) the principle of political and legal equality, and (3) a high degree of individual freedom, or civil liberties. Due to reliance on elections, democracies have as their default principle the concept of majority rule. However, one of the dominant tensions running through democratic societies is the balance struck between the will of the majority and minority rights. The compromise between these two principles differs in different democratic states.
Democracy itself comes in many shapes and sizes. Be aware of the following distinctions when considering the type of democracy organized by the US Constitution:
Direct Democracy vs. Representative Democracy
- A direct democracy is a system of government in which public decisions are made by the people directly, rather than by elected representatives. Generally only possible in small communities, although elements of direct democracy exist in California's referenda, initiatives, and recall elections.
- A representative democracy is a form of government in which representatives are elected to make policy and enforce laws while representing the citizens. All modern democratic countries are representative, not direct, democracies. A representative democracy is also known as a republic.
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