close
close
Chapter 1
More From this Chapter

What is a democracy?

Democracy means that everyone has a say in how the country is run. In a democracy, the government is put into power by its citizens. The adult citizens of a democracy elect their government. One way they do this is by choosing people to represent them in a parliament. In a multi-party system, the party that gets the majority votes governs the country.

CHARACTERISTICS THAT IDENTIFY A DEMOCRACY
Citizens can participate in government
It is everyone’s right and duty to participate in government.		Economic freedom
People can own property and businesses and they can choose their own work and join labour unions.
All people are equal before the law
There is no legal discrimination based on race, religion, gender or other reasons. Groups and individuals have a right to their own cultures, languages, beliefs and so on.
Controlling abuse of power
There must be ways to prevent government officials from abusing their power. The courts are independent of the government, and other bodies have the power to act against corrupt government officials.
Political tolerance
Various opinions, beliefs, cultures, religions and so on need to be tolerated. So, while the majority of the people rule in a democracy, the rights of the minority must still be protected.		Human rights
Democracies aim to respect and protect the human rights of all and often use a Bill of Rights to do so.
Accountability
Officials that are elected and appointed in government are accountable to the people for actions and decisions.		Multi-party system
A multi-party system means that more than one political party can participate in elections, so that people can choose who they want to represent them in government.
Transparency
In a democracy, people and the media (newspapers, tv, radio) can get information about what government decisions are being made, by whom and for what reason.		The rule of law
No one is above the law, including the president. This means that the law must treat everyone in an equal and fair way.
Regular, free and fair elections
Citizens choose their own representatives for government. They elect these officials in a free and fair way, without corruption and votes are secret. Elections are held regularly.		The separation of powers between different arms of government
The Legislature (parliament) made up of people’s representatives, makes the laws and policies. The Executive (cabinet) implements and oversees the public service. The Judiciary acts as an independent referee to interpret the law when there are disputes or conflicts or someone breaks the law.