Democracy
Democracy is the rule of the majority, usually found within the boundaries of a Nation State. There are many different forms of democracy, such as our modern conception of it (Representative Democracy/Liberal Democracy) to the Ancient Greek form, where major issues where voted on directly by the citizens of Athens.
Etymology
Democracy as a word derives from the Greek demokratia which literally means 'rule by the people'. It is formed by Demos; 'the people' and Kratos - 'rule' or 'power'.
Constitutional Democracy
In the modern world, constitutional democracy is the natural opposite of Autocracy. The minimal definition in institutional terms of a constitutional democracy is that it should provide for a regularized system of periodic elections with a free choice of candidates, the opportunity to organize competing Political Parties, adult suffrage, decisions by majority vote with minority rights protection, an independent judiciary, constitutional safeguard of basic civil liberties and so called Natural Rights, and the opportunity to change governmental procedures by popular mandate.
Two features of constitutional democracy require emphasis in contrasting it with totalitarianism: A Constitution[1] and the political party. In most modern constitutional democracies there is a constitutional document providing for fixed limitations on the exercise of power. These provisions usually include three major elements: an assignment of different state functions and organisations to different state offices or organs, and the establishment of arrangements for their co-operation; a list of individual rights or liberties that are protected from the exercise of State power; and a statement by the methods of which the constitution may be amended.[2]
With these provisions, a concentration of political power with one person or party is limited, hence the Lockean notion of Limited Power. Certain areas of political and social life become immune to government intervention, without a constitutional amendment, and peaceful change in the political order is made possible.
The political party is the other chief instrument of constitutional democracy, as it is the agency in which the electorate is involved in the exchange and transfer of power. The political parties of constitutional democracy tend to be decentralised[3], concerned with the integration of diverse talents and interests, and open to public participation. There is usually some competition from two or more parties; some nations have two party systems, where the electorate is split down along racial, ethnic and economic coalitions readily identifiable with their respective political party[4], others have broader systems, where smaller parties take in sizeable portions of the vote, ensuring coalition governments need to be formed in order to create a functionable government.[5] The political party in a constitutional democracy serves the function of representing a mass electorate in the exercise of power and also a mechanism that allows the peaceful replacement of one set of power holders with another.
Notes
- ↑ Britain, for example doesn’t have a written down constitution protecting liberties and rights like other democracies yet is in every sense of the term, a ‘democracy’
- ↑ Methods vary from nation to nation, with a direct vote from the people sufficient in some cases (e.g, [[Ireland) or an overwhelming majority of electoral support in other cases (Such as the U.S. Constitution requiring three quarters of the States to pass a constitutional amendment)
- ↑ The exception being regional interest parties, or fringe political movements such as fascism or communism
- ↑ Such as in the United States, to a variable extent
- ↑ Much of Europe adopts the Proportional Representation system, that tends to favour smaller parties.