Definition of Democracy

 Democracy is the government of the people, by the people

and for the people”, quoted Abraham Lincoln.
 ‘Demokratia’. In Greek ‘demos’ means people and ‘kratia’
means rule. So democracy is a rule by the people.

 It is defined as a form of government where rulers are

elected by the choice of people.
 So, the difference between democratic and non-
democratic governments is that the power of electing their
representative is in people’s hands.
Examples of Non-Democratic Governments
 In Myanmar, the army controller becomes the ruler and
people over there have no role to play in electing their
representative.
In Saudi Arabia, the representatives are from royal
families, this is the base on which they qualify to become
kings. Here also, people have no role to play in making
decisions.
FEATURES OF DEMOCRACY

 One simple factor common to all democracies is: the

government is chosen by the people. We could thus start
with a simple definition: democracy is a form of
government in which the rulers are elected by the people.
 In a democracy the final decision making power must rest
with those elected by the people.
 Free and fair electoral competition - A democracy must
be based on a free and fair election where those currently
in power have a fair chance of losing.
 One Person, One Vote, One Value - Democracy is
based on a fundamental principle of political equality. That
gives us another feature of democracy: in a democracy, all
adult citizens who are 18 years and above, must have one
vote and each vote must have one value - Universal Adult
Franchise.
 Rule of Law and Respect for Rights - A democratic
government rules within limits set by constitutional law and
citizens’ rights.
  Accordingly, democracy is a form of government in which:
 Rulers elected by the people take all the major
decisions;
 Elections offer a choice and fair opportunity to the
people to change the current rulers;
 This choice and opportunity is available to all the
people on an equal basis;
 The exercise of this choice leads to a government
limited by basic rules of the constitution and citizens’
rights.

Major Decision by the Elected Leaders

 Pakistani General Pervez Musharraf, in October 1999 led
the military and overthrew a democratic government and
declared himself the ‘Chief Executive’.
 In the year 2002, he changed his designation to President
and declared himself an additional 5 years.
 In the year August 2002, he passed the ‘Legal Framework
Order’ which stated that the President can dismiss the
national and provincial assemblies.
 After elections, elected candidates vested some powers,
the final power rested with military officers and General
Musharraf. It shows that it is not a democratic country.
 In the USSR in communist Poland and the US in
contemporary Iraq, power lied with external instead of
elected locals. Whereas in democracy, the final power lies
with those which are elected by the people.
Free and Fair Electoral Competition
 In China, to elect members for the country’s parliament
which is called Quanguo Renmin Daibiao Dahui (National
People’s Congress), elections are held every 5 years.
 Candidate needs to be a member of the Chinese
Communist Party or 8 of its allies to contest elections in
2002-03.
 The communist party used to form the government.
  Since independence, 1930, Mexico presidential elections
have been held every 6 years. Until 2000 each and every
election was won by PRI (Institutional Revolutionary
Party).
 A fair and free electoral competition where the existing
ruling party has a fair chance to lose is an aspect of
democracy.
 Examples of Democracy are – India and the United States
etc.
One Person, One Vote, One Value
 Political equality is the basis of democracy.

 In a few instances where equal rights are denied have

been observed.
 Women had no right to vote until 2015, in Saudi Arabia.
 In Estonia, citizen rules made it very much difficult for
people from Russian minorities to gain the right to vote.
 Fiji’s electoral system gave more value to indigenous Fiji
than Indian-Fijian.
 These are some examples which contradict the basis of
democracy where an adult citizen must have one vote with
equal value.
Rule of Law and Respect for Rights
 In the year 1980, Zimbabwe gained independence. The
leader Robert Mugabe of the ZANU-PF party, which led
for the freedom struggle ruled the country.
 President Mugabe used malpractices in elections so that
ZANU-PF always won.
 Only the verdicts of the ruling party were presented by the
television and radios since a law existed that restricted the
right to criticize the President.
 Harassment was done to the independent journalist who
talked against the government.
 Hence, in a democratic government:
 1. Major decisions were taken by the rulers elected by the
people.
2. Fair choice of people in changing rulers.
3. Equal opportunity to all the citizens in choosing their
representative.
4. Government’s power is limited by the basic rules of the
constitution.
ARGUMENTS AGAINST DEMOCRACY

 There is instability in the system as the leaders keep

changing.
 There is political competition and power play which leads
to immorality in the system.
 There are delays in the system as so many people are to
be consulted in the decision making process.
 The elected officials lack insight into the people's best
interests, resulting in poor decision-making.
 Corruption can arise from democracy due to its reliance on
electoral competition.
 Some argue that ordinary individuals may not always be
equipped to make decisions in their best interest and,
therefore, should not be the sole decision-makers.

ARGUMENTS FOR DEMOCRACY

 A democracy requires that the rulers have to attend to the

needs of the people. A democratic government is a better
government because it is a more accountable form of
government.
 Democracy improves the quality of decision making as a
number of people are involved in the decision-making
process.
 Democracy provides a method to deal with differences
and conflicts.
 In democracy, no one is a permanent winner. No one is a
permanent loser. Different groups can live with one
another peacefully. In a diverse country like India,
democracy keeps our country together. These three
arguments
 Democracy enhances the dignity of citizens.
  Democracy is better than other forms of government
because it allows us to correct its own mistakes. Either the
rulers have to change their decisions, or the rulers can be
changed. This cannot happen in a non-democratic
government.

Broader Meanings Of Democracy

 The most common form that democracy takes in our times
is that of a representative democracy where majority is
allowed to take decisions on behalf of all the people.
 The majority of people rule through their elected
representatives.
 A democratic decision involves consultation with and
consent of all those who are affected by that decision.

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