How do You Define Democracy?

In a democracy, every citizen has certain basic rights that the state cannot take away from them

The a political party assumes power it forms a government OF A FEW people, FOR A FEW people and BY A FEW people, still it is national or state government,

While democracy is a term we frequently use in our line of work, we rarely discuss the definition. In seeking to quantify progress towards democracy, the term is often diluted to a set of indicators that measure freedom of association, accountability, number of parties, number of voters, the level of corruption, etc

These rights are guaranteed under international law.

You can change your political party any time, any number of times and yet remain 100% loyal to the political party you are in,

You have the right to have your own beliefs, and to say and write what you think.

No one can tell you what you must think, believe, and say or not say.

Developing a clear definition can be difficult because the act of definition requires that certain features of governmental design are prioritized over others.

There is freedom of religion. Everyone is free to choose their own religion and to worship and practice their religion as they see fit.

There is freedom and pluralism in the mass media.

This was the conclusion of Pavel Pšeja, an Assistant Professor at Masaryk University in Brno, Czech Republic, who presented to the Rising Stars delegation during a discussion on democratic transitions in Central and Eastern Europe.

Democracy is a system of government in which people choose their rulers by voting for them in elections.

There is freedom and pluralism in the mass media.

Launched in 2007, IRI’s Rising Stars initiative helps emerging democratic leaders gain knowledge and skills to prepare them to address their country’s challenges with sound and proven policies and govern in an open, transparent and democratic manner.

You can choose between different sources of news and opinion to read in the newspapers, to hear on the radio, and to watch on television.

Dr. Pšeja began his lecture by stating that a democratic government is something people all over the world want, but there is difficulty in coming to agreement on what it truly means.

Democracy is a common form of government around the world. Australia is a representative democracy with three levels of government that share the power and responsibility for our citizens.

government by the people especially : rule of the majority.

You have the right to associate with other people, and to form and join organizations of your own choice, including trade unions.

Dr. Pšeja illustrated his point by asking each participant from the delegation to define what democracy means to them. After a lengthy discussion, it became clear that even a small group of democratically minded leaders could not agree on what democracy means.

A government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections.

In a direct democracy (sometimes known as a pure democracy), all the people vote on policies and laws.

You are free to move about the country, and if you wish, to leave the country.

Dr. Pšeja continued his presentation by stating that a repressed civil society often expects too much, too quickly. When a democratic transition encounters roadblocks, proponents of democracy get discouraged and blame the system for the failure.

An ancient example is Athens which was ruled by the people. Citizens were expected to attend a meeting every nine days so they could vote on laws and policies. They required a minimum number of citizens to turn up at the meetings and if this did not happen, they would be rounded up and forced to attend. This started to become annoying and difficult for the people, so they decided to select representatives from each area to attend the meetings and speak on behalf of the people. This was the start of representative democracy.