The democracy It is a system of government in which decisions are made by the representatives of the citizens, who elect them in the framework of free and periodic elections, to which various candidates are presented on behalf of different political parties. Democratic rulers respect the constitution of each country. For example: referendums, popular assemblies, student centers.
In this way it is possible that the opinion of the majority influences the decisions that govern the destinies of a country. Even with its shortcomings, it is the most accepted form of government currently in almost the entire world, although by the way for much of the history of mankind it was not the most common.
Democracy as a value
This is why democracy is taken as a very important value of life in society, which is opposed to the idea of dictatorship, that is, the government exercised by a few and often imposed by force. Democracy arises in Ancient Greece and is consolidated in the century of Pericles.
The fundamental mechanism of democracy are the instances by which the popular will is interpreted, which differ according to the different types of democratic system, but the common factor is that representativeness is sustained through the vote by which citizens choose to their representatives.
Likewise, countries with republican systems work through a division of powers, in all cases the elected representatives must respond to the popular will. Some countries adopt parliamentary representative systems.
types of democracy
Most countries are governed by liberal democracies or social democracies. Current democracies coexist with some constitutional monarchies, such as Spain or the United Kingdom.
The main variants of democracy include:
- Indirect or representative democracy (the most common in the present).
- Participatory or semi-direct democracy.
- Direct democracy or in a pure state, like that of Ancient Greece.
Forms of democratic organization
Some forms of democratic organization are listed below:
- The referendum, mechanisms of representative democracy that require the participation of citizens.
- The sports clubs and neighborhood associations (which adopt participatory democracies).
- The top-down unions (which adopt representative democracies).
- The popular assemblies (which work with direct democracies).
- The base unions (which have direct democracies).
- The jury trials, the opportunity that citizens have in many countries to participate in decisions related to the administration of justice.
- The student centers (which have direct democracies).
- The consortia (which have participatory democracies).
- The social democracy, concerned with meeting the needs of individuals belonging to it.
- The liberal democracy, permissive of the mechanisms of the markets without interventions.
- athenian democracy, with its Assembly and Council of Five Hundred.
- The plebiscites, which are consultations carried out by the public powers so that through direct popular vote the citizens can express themselves regarding a certain proposal.