Democracy

Democracy is an egalitarian form of government in

which all the citizens of a nation together determine
public policy, the laws and the actions of their state,
requiring that all citizens (meeting certain qualifications)
have an equal opportunity to express their opinion.
Definition: Democracy is a system of selecting policymakers
and of organizing government so that policy represents and
responds to the public’s preferences.
U.S. president Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) defined
democracy as: «Government of the people, by the people,
for the people»
Democracy - Key Elements
• Guarantee of basic Human Rights to every individual
person vis-à-vis the state and its authorities as well as vis-
à-vis any social groups (especially religious institutions)
and vis-à-vis other persons.
• Separation of Powers between the institutions of the
state:
Government [Executive Power],
Parliament [Legislative Power] und
Courts of Law [Judicative Power]
• Freedom of opinion, speech, press and massmedia
• Religious liberty
• General and equal right to vote (one person, one vote)
• Good Governance (focus on public interest and absence
of corruption)
Merits of Democracy
We felt that democracy is better because it

Democracy-A form of Government which is chosen by

the people to work for their welfare and can be voted
out by them.
• 1.The rulers are accountable to the people.
• 2. Based on consultation and discussion.
• 3. It provides a method to deal with differences.
• 4. Enhances the dignity of citizens.
• 5.Based on the principle of political equality.
Questions About Democracy
• People
– Are people knowledgeable about policy?
– Do they apply what the know when they vote?
– Do elections facilitate political participation?
• Institutions
– Is Congress a representative institution?
– Does the president look after the general welfare?
• Linkage Institutions
– Do interest groups help the process, or do they get in the way?
– Do political parties offer clear consistent choices for voters or
do they intentionally obscure their positions?
– Do media help citizens understand choices?
Democracies Share:
• A government based on the decisions of the
majority, either directly or indirectly.
• The people and government are connected both thru
the process (how decisions are made) and the
outcome (what decisions are made).
• People & government connected
• Through free & fair elections
• Through access to government officials
• Through the types of policies enacted.
Democracy means both:
PROCEDURES – how decisions are made, and
SUBSTANCE – what decisions are made (that is, a
check on what even a majority can do).
EVALUTION OF THE WORKING OF PARLIAMENTARY DEMOCRACY
IN INDIA
9. Election are very expensive -
10. Political Parties are not Organised on Healthy and Sound
Principles -
11. Defective Election System – in 1980, Lok Sabha-351 out of
525, but 42.6% vote- Congress party,
party in1984, Congress party
bagged 78.4% Seats but 49.3% votes.
12. Poor Quality of Legislators -
13. Lack of Free and Honest Press –
14. Problem of Linguism, Regionalism and Provincialism -22
recognised language in our Constitution.
15. Violence -_ The two of our late Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi
and Mr. Rajiv Gandhi became victims of political violence.
How Governments Determine Citizen Participation
High Participation High Participation

Citizen Participation

Citizen Participation
General Citizens’
Government Power

Government Power

Government Power
Participation
Select Citizens’
Participation
Low or No Participation Low or No Participation Low or No Participation

Autocratic Oligarchic Democracy

The two predominant forms of democratic government:
parliamentary and presidential
Presidential Democracy
A system of government in which the president is
constitutionally independent of the legislature.
The executive branch exists separately from the legislature (to
which it is generally not accountable).
Republican Systems (Kenya and South Africa)
A representative democracy in which the people's elected
deputies (representatives), not the people themselves, vote on
legislation.
Federal Republic (India, Brazil, Mexico) A state in which the
powers of the central government are restricted and in which
the component parts (states, colonies, or provinces) retain a
degree of self-government; ultimate sovereign power rests
with the voters who chose their governmental representatives.
The most common system that is deemed "democratic" in the modern
world is Parliamentary democracy in which the voting public takes
part in election and chooses politicians to represent them in a
legislative assembly. The members of the assembly then make
decisions with a majority vote.
Parliament democracy is a representative democracy where government
is appointed by representatives
• Government is exercised by delegation to an executive ministry and
subject to ongoing review, checks and balances by the legislative
parliament elected by the people.[
• It has right to dismiss a Prime Minister at any point in time that they
feel he or she is not doing their job to the expectations of the
legislature. This is done through a Vote of No Confidence.
• Presidential Democracy is a system where the public elects the
president through free and fair elections. The president serves as both
the head of state and head of government controlling most of the
executive powers.
The Rule Of Law
• The supremacy of law, which means that all persons
(individuals and government) are subject to law.
• A concept of justice which emphasises interpersonal
adjudication, law based on standards and the importance
of procedures.
• Restrictions on the exercise of discretionary power.
• The doctrine of judicial precedent.
• The common law methodology.
• Legislation should be prospective and not retrospective.
• An independent judiciary.
• The exercise by Parliament of the legislative power and
restrictions on exercise of legislative power by the
executive.
• An underlying moral basis for all law.
 Rule of Law
 The authoritarian control of the
Communist Party over all spheres of
Chinese society has meant weak
rule of law.
 Poor people have little chance of
getting their grievances redressed if
they have a dispute with the
Chinese state or powerful
businesses. E.g. Sprucing up of
Beijing for the 2008 Olympics
 Corruption exists in India as
well and the judiciary is
overworked but India has a
strong rule of law.
Fear of majority tyranny led to certain choices
to limit democracy:

1. Representative and not direct

2. Constitutional limits on majority choices
*Written constitution & rule of law
*Civil liberties protected in Bill of Rights
*Judicial review of actions of the parliament
& President