Democracy is a form of government in which the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation (“direct democracy”), or to choose governing officials to do so (“representative democracy”). 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 rates in different countries, but over time more and more of a democratic country’s inhabitants have generally been included. Cornerstones of democracy include freedom of assembly, association, property rights, freedom of religion and speech, inclusiveness and equality, citizenship, consent of the governed, voting rights, freedom from unwarranted governmental deprivation of the right to life and liberty, and minority rights.
Democracy of Government
Although democracy is generally understood to be defined by voting, no consensus exists on a precise definition of democracy. Karl Popper says that the “classical” view of democracy is simply, “in brief, the theory that democracy is the rule of the people, and that the people have a right to rule.” Kofi Annan states that “there are as many different forms of democracy as there are democratic nations in the world.” One study identified 2,234 adjectives used to describe democracy in the English .language.Democratic principles are reflected in all eligible citizens being equal before the law and having equal access to legislative processes. For example, in a representative democracy, every vote has equal weight, no unreasonable restrictions can apply to anyone seeking to become a representative,[according to whom?] and the freedom of its eligible citizens is secured by legitimised rights and liberties which are typically protected by a constitution.
The term democracy” is sometimes used as shorthand for liberal democracy, which is a variant of representative democracy that may include elements such as political pluralism; equality before the law; the right to petition elected officials for redress of grievances; due process; civil liberties; human rights; and elements of civil society outside the government.[citation needed] Roger argued that democracy alone cannot provide personal and political freedom unless the institutions of civil society are also present.In some countries, notably in the United Kingdom which originated the Westminster system, the dominant principle is that of parliamentary sovereignty, while maintaining judicial independence. In India, parliamentary sovereignty is subject to the Constitution of India which includes judicial review. Though the term “democracy” is typically used in the context of a political state, the principles also are applicable to
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The Concept of Democracy It is difficult to reach a consensus on the definition of democracy. However, the main idea of democracy is widely accepted to have originated from Athens in the 5th century BC. The Webster New Encyclopaedic Dictionary (1995) defines democracy as a government in which supreme power is invested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through representation. According to , and Scott (1999), the term originates from the Greek word “rule of the people” which was coined from (demos) “people” and “power” or “rule” in the 5th century B.C. It is important to note that the political system postulated by the was such that democratic citizenship was exclusive to an elite class of free men only. Slaves and women were excluded from participation. In a lecture titled “What is Democracy”? Larry Diamond (2004) gave an overview of what in his opinion is democracy. He describes democracy as a system of government with four key elements: i) A system for choosing and replacing the government through free and fair elections; ii) Active participation of the people, as citizens, in politics and civic life; iii) Protection of the human rights of all citizens; and iv) A rule of law in which the laws and procedures apply equally to all citizens.
