Democracy is a form of government in which the participating citizens pursue objectives held in common and a process through which disputes may be resolved, at least temporarily and actions taken on matters of high controversy.
As with many important concepts, the notion of democracy is contentious. The wide popularity of the term conceals some important ambiguities, in fact we can identify contending positions on many key issues regarding its very definition. “Man’s capacity for justice makes democracy possible, but man’s inclination to injustice makes democracy necessary” wrote Reinhold Niebuhr. Perhaps this very ability of democracy to adapt to both sides of man’s nature is one of its great sources of strength.
Of, all governmental ideals, democracy is now by far, the one most widely shared, through-out the world. No pattern of government has been more widely praised than democracy, yet it has often seemed to mean different things to different people.
Despite the many debates about the meaning of democracy, a rough consensus emerged among comparativist. It is generally agreed that for a political system to qualify as democratic or we can derive the following characteristics as those which a society must have to call itself democratic.
1. Selection to the highest public office shall be on the basis pf a free and fair election, for an election to qualify as fair, votes must be counted accurately with the winning candidates selected according to the pre -existing rules that determine the kind of plurality or majority required to gain electoral victory.
2. All citizens must possess Civil and Political rights, the right to participate and vote in elections periodically held to select key state office holders and Civil liberties, that is , the right of free assembly, conscience , privacy and expression, including the right to criticize government.
3. Political parties must be free to organize, present candidates for public office, and compete in election.
4. The minority party or parties, those not represented in government, must enjoy adequate right of contestation, that is the right to organize and criticize the incumbent government.
5. The elected government develops policy according to specified procedures that provides due process and accountability of elected executives at the next election, through judicial action and in parliamentary systems, to parliament.
6. The political systems contains a judiciary with powers independent of the Executive and the legislature, charged with protecting citizens civil rights and liberties from violation from government and other citizens, as well as with ensuring that governmental officials respect constitutionally specified procedures.
7. Acceptance of the principle of majority rule; Democracy is majority decision -making played according to certain rule of the game. The majority is not necessarily always right, but it is assumed that over a period of time, it is safer to trust the majority than any given individual or elite, if there are advantages of government by consent, majority rule provides the most acceptable basis for gaining and preserving that consent.
8. Protection of the rights of the minority is one of the basic rules of the game, the rights of the minority do not include the right to vote, although certain minority brazenly assume it, but to embrace those freedom implied by the following characteristics of a healthy democratic society.
9. The free exchange of information and opinion; That people vote is not criterion of democracy, they may merely be rubber- stamping decisions made elsewhere. Free decisions are made only when adequate information is available and communicated, and when all points of views may have been heard. This entails that the people enjoy certain liberties such as free speech, press and assembly and that they will not tolerate government interference in the exercise of these rights. Such apolitical atmosphere is not only desirable for the individual but vital to the democratic process
10. The availability of realistic alternative choices or actions. This requires the active participation in the political process by many different citizens in-order to insure that alternative actually issues from the thoughts and suggestions of ordinary people not only from the elite.
11. Freedom to act upon one’s belief, including the opportunity to seek to persuade others and the very practice of free election itself. This freedom implies a willingness to accept and abide by the result of democratically made decisions, while reserving the right to continue to disagree and work towards achieving a different result at the next opportunity.
12. Acceptance of the principle of government by law; namely, that people are to be governed by stable and consistent rules, determined and changed through the process previously mentioned and applying to all citizens in the same fashion, rather than by independence individual whim
13. Equality of every citizen before the law and in the political process. The political weight of each adult citizen should be the same as that of every other, and there can be no concept of second-class citizenship.
14. Government exist to serve many, not the other way around as fascist doctrine bodily asserted. The individual is to be treated as an end and not as a means.
Permit me to leave you with this co-joined phrase of mine.” Democracy is nurtured on and flourishes with practices, it is not something finished, complete, possessed but something towards which men must continually strive”.
Great article 👍
Thank you so much sweetheart
The hope of every growing nature or 21st century nation is in democracy.
The freedom that the electorate demonstrate is the hope of humanity.
Left for me,I can say democracy is a government of free will…
Man’s will to determine the type of leaders, he desire to govern him.
So every action He makes at the poll, makes him accountable for the outcome.
Great insight. Thank you for sharing.
Well structured article 👏 👌
Thanks dear