Definition of
Democracy
Democracy is deemed to be the best system of government
in the world today. This is so because the system tends to protect the interest
of citizens first. Currently, most of the countries of the world (including the world power, USA) practice
a democratic system of government.
The term democracy comes from the Greek word for “rule
of the people.” The Greek’s idea of democracy was based on the full
participation of all people in every aspect of government. The Greek system of
democratic government is the model of “pure” or consensus” democracy, though in
the case of Greek pure democracy did not last long.
However, the idea of government by the people survived
the decline of the Greek city-state to become one of the basic ideals of
political thought.
There are two broad categories of scholars on the
concept of democracy:
The process and principle democrats. Process scholars
see democracy as a way of making decisions, but principle democrats’ argue that
democracy has a very important theoretical base (Baradat, 2000). The principle
democrats’ states that, although the procedure of democracy is important,
according to them it is secondary to the basic intents and objectives of
democracy as expressed in democratic theory. For this reason, we will focus in
this unit on the principle or theory of democracy.
The principle democrats contend that the basic principle of
modern liberal democracy include that the individual is of major importance in
the society, that each individual is basically equal to all other individuals,
and that each has certain inalienable rights. Central to democracy is also the
assumption of the freedom of choice that the individual has from form fear or
coercion and any other disabilities. Central to democracy is liberty to make
choice and equality of choice. Democracy, according to John Dewey is much more
than a form of government or a set of legal arrangement, but should be seen as
a way of life that requires faith in the capacity of human beings for
intelligent judgment and action, if proper conditions are provided. He argues
further that democracy requires faith in the possibility of resolving disputes
through un- coerced deliberations. Democracy, according to Dewey, should not be
viewed as “something institutional and external” but should been seen as “a way
of personal life.”
Democracy not only requires institutional guarantees of
rights but also faith in the possibility of resolving disputes through
un-coerced deliberation. In other words, un-hindered communication should be
put in place in a democratic setting in which there is a “cooperative
undertaking”, instead of having one group suppress the other through either
subtle or overt violence or through intimidation. Democracy does not impose
authority from above but instead relies on the dialogue as the source of
authority and the means of choosing among competing alternatives. A democratic
system flourishes in a setting where there is unlimited participation of all
citizens in a free and rational public debate.
For Emile Durkheim, the basic hallmark of democracy is the
citizens’ capacity to participate in the state’s judgment. To him, the state’s
legitimacy springs from its collective conscience. In other words, the citizens
should be able to contribute to the natural reasoning and deliberations of the
society. In Durkheim’s view, if we want to have a viable democracy then we must
have a vibrant public sphere where issues of common concern could be debated in
a rational manner. Similarly, intolerance, abuse, calling of names because of
differences of opinion about religion or politics including differences of
race, colour or wealth are treason to the democratic way of life. Despite this
seeming agreement by most scholars on its principle, democracy, especially its
process, which we shall discuss in the next unit, is, essentially, a largely
contested concept. Robert Dahl (1984) sees it as a concept that defies
definition in the sense that the way one defines it would betray one’s beliefs,
personal outlook, political experience and ideological preference. There are
differences for example between the United States’ and the Soviet Union’s
conception of democracy. A major difference between USA and the former Soviet
Union is that US emphasizes political freedom as basic to democracy while USSR
focuses on economic rights and its leaders are even prepared to suppress or
deny individual rights for the sake of the survival of the system. On the other
hand, democracy in the USA does not place high premium on economic needs, in
spite of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal program. In retrospect,
one can argue that that one of the reasons why the Soviet Union collapsed is
that the system could no longer fulfill the basic economic needs of its people
despite the lid the system placed on human (political) rights. This is why
Baradat (2000:66) argued that the Soviet Union and the United States differed
as to which procedures best defines democracy”.
History of Democracy
Archeological
evidence suggests that disorganized practices at least resembling democracy
existed in some parts of the world during prehistoric times, However, the
concept of democracy as a form of populist civic engagement emerged
during the 5th century BCE in the form of the political system used in some
of the city- state of ancient Greece, most notably Athens. At that time,
and for the next several centuries, tribes or city-states remained small enough
that if democracy was practiced at all, it took the form of direct democracy.
As city-states grew into larger, more heavily populated sovereign nation-states
or countries, direct democracy became unwieldy and slowly gave way to
representative democracy. This massive change necessitated an entirely new set
of political institution such as legislatures, parliaments, and political
parties all designed according to the size and cultural character of the city
or country to be governed.
Until
the 17th century, most legislatures consisted only of the entire body of
citizens, as in Greece, or representatives selected from among a tiny oligarchy
or an elite hereditary aristocracy. This began to change during the English
civil wars from 1642 to 1651 when members of the radical
puritan reformation movement demanded expanded representation in
Parliament and the universal right to vote for all male citizens. By the middle
1700s, as the power of the British Parliament grew, the first political parties
the Whigs and Tories emerged. It soon became obvious that laws could not be
passed or taxes levied without the support of the Whig or Tory party
representatives in Parliament.
While
the developments in the British Parliament showed the feasibility of a
representative form of government, the first truly representative democracies
emerged during the 1780s in the British colonies of North America and took
its modern form with the formal adoption of the Constitution of the United
States of America on March 4, 1789.
Types of Democracy
1.
Direct Democracy:
This is where all the citizens attend the Assembly and take part in the
decision making process, in order to govern the state or the society. This type
of democracy was practiced in ancient small Greek City. It was also parcticed
in Nigeria during the Igbo pre-colonial administration.
2.
Indirect Democracy: In this system of
democracy, the citizens the citizens through election selected those who will
represent and govern the state on their behalf. This is opposed to the direct
democracy where everyone is actively participating in the governance of the
day. This type of democracy replaced the direct democracy in modern states as
it is impossible for everyone to participate due to the large number of people.
Types of Direct Democracy
There are two
schools of thought when it comes to a direct democracy.
1. Participatory
Democracy
2. Deliberative
Democracy
1. Participatory Democracy: Is one where the people use initiative and
referendums to make a contribution to their government. This allows every
person to make a meaningful contribution, like what you find in Switzerland.
2. Deliberative Democracy: Another
direct democracy theory is the deliberative school of thought. In this
theory, citizens would deliberate government policies and reforms among
themselves to generate the best policies and laws for everyone.
Characteristics of Democracy
Below are the key
characteristics of democracy:
1. Existence
of the Constitution
2. Popular
participation in politics
3. Legitimacy
4. Periodic
election
5. Separation
of power
6. Checks
and balances
7. Existence
of political parties
8. Equality
before the law
9. Fundamental
human rights
1.
Existence of the Constitution: In every democratic
nation, there is usually the existence of a constitution which is either
written or written. A constitution can simply be defined as the fundamental
laws or rules which guides a state or society. It establishes the institutions
of the government such as the legislature, the executive and the judiciary and
defines their powers. The constitution also contains the rights and duties of
the citizens and the government. It is
imperative to note that there are two types of institutions namely: Formal and
informal institutions. Formal instructions are those which discharge formal
functions such as the three arms of the government. On the other hand, infomal
institutions are those which discharge informal responsibilities such as the
political parties and the press. In a democratic society, the constitution
usually states how these institutions functions.
2.
Popular participation in politics: One the most important features of democracy is
popular participation in politics. From the definition of democracy explained
above, it is clear that any system which does not encourage people to
participate in the political decision making of the government is not
democratic. Consequently, popular participation is not just a feature of democracy.
It is an essential part of the system. People have to participate in politics
either directly or through a representative which is legitimately recognized by
them.
Take
for instance, in Nigeria (a
federal system), people at the local level, who cannot actively
participate in politics at the central level, are allowed to elect senators who
represent their opinions at the central level. No doubt, popular participation in politics is one of the features of
democracy that cannot be jettisoned.
3.
Legitimacy: When
I was in secondary school, I was taught that Legitimacy is the recognition of
the people of a state, the right of their leaders to govern. This definition of Legitimacy is actually
very short and understandable. Oxford dictionary defines democracy as
when there is conformity to the law or to rules. I personally agree with the
definition of Legitimacy in political science which Wikipedia says is the right and
acceptance of an authority, usually a governing law or a regime. I
explained earlier that in a democratic state, the people are allowed to select
who to govern them. This is what is known as Legitimacy. Here, the people
will unanimously agree on
who will administer their political affairs. This is usually done by voting and
it is recognized by the law which the people have consented to. Apparently,
this is why Abraham Lincoln said that democracy is a government of the people,
by the people and for the people. This postulates that in a democratic state
the people are very key.
4.
Periodic election: Since
the people are the supreme in a democratic state, there is usually a fixed tenure for conducting elections. This
is to make sure that the political powers of the state are not concentrated in a
single hand. In the United States
of America for instance, the president of the United States is
elected indirectly to a four-year term, with a term limit of two terms. It is pertinent to note that
periodic elections is a very essential feature of democracy because, where
there is one particular leader administering the affairs of a state for
eternity, that state cannot be said to be a democratic state. The people must
be allowed to choose and change their leaders because they are supreme.
5.
Separation of power: Separation
of power is a political concept by Charles-Louis
de Secondat, baron de La Brède et de Montesquieu, an 18th century
French social and political philosopher. It means that the political powers of
a state should not be concentrated in one single hand. It should rather be
separated and sheared to avoid dictatorship. Here, the political powers of the
state are shared between the arms of government (That is, the Executive, Legislature and the Judiciary). The
Legislature makes the law of the state. The executive implements the law and
the judiciary interprets the law. These powers are separated such that, there
will be no interference in their activities. Their arms of government are only
allowed to check the activities of each other to ensure that they all conform
to the law of the state which the people agree with.
6.
Checks and balances: The
theory check and balances is an extension of the theory of separation of
powers. It was propounded by Montesquieu in his book titled “the spirit of the
Laws” “. According to research, Montesquieu’s theory of checks
and balances is a principle of government under which separate branches are
empowered to prevent actions by other branches and are induced to share power. In
that same light, checks and balances in a democratic state, ensures that the
different arms of Government checks the actives of each other. Take for
instance, if the legislature makes a law that it is not supposed, or prohibited
from making, the judiciary can declare such law to be null and void. It should
be noted that for the principle of Checks and balances to be effective, there
is need to give each arm autonomy to act on their own but not outside what is
provided in the law. Financial autonomy is also very important to ensure the
effectiveness of checks and balances in a democratic government. No doubt, it
is a very important feature of democracy.
7.
Existence of political parties: A political party is a union of likeminded people who come
together to take over power. In a democratic state, there should be political
parties. Not just one political party but two or more. This is to ensure that
the masses have different choices to choose from. A one party state cannot be
said to be a democratic state because there is just one political party in the
state. So the people do not really have any option. Democracy postulates that the people are Supreme and as such,
they have the power to decide who will administer their political affairs.
Conversely, a state where there is no political party or just one political
party or where the people are not allowed to select anybody they want as
leader, is not a democratic state.
8. Equality before the law: In a true democratic state, there is equity before the law.
This form of government does no encourage the idea that some class of citizens
should or should not be punished for their actions. Even the legitimate leaders
in a democratic state are forced to face the law during or after their service
of the nation. Equality is a key feature of democracy because
it postulates that citizens have the same rights to vote and to be voted for.
This means that all votes casted in a democratic state during election is
valid, notwithstanding wealth or position of the person who casted the
vote. This is exactly what is
called equality.
9.
Fundamental human rights: Fundamental human rights are also
very important features of a democratic state. They are those inalienable and
immutable rights that are given to a member of a state as soon as he/she is
born. These rights help to protect the
citizens of that state from molestations by dictators. This is why it is
important that the Fundamental human rights of people in a democratic state be
entrenched in the constitution of every state.
8. Equality before the
law: In a true democratic state,
there is equity before the law. This form of government does no encourage the
idea that some class of citizens should or should not be punished for their
actions. Even the legitimate leaders in a democratic state are forced to face
the law during or after their service of the nation.
Equality
is a key feature of democracy because it postulates that citizens have the same
rights to vote and to be voted for. This means that all votes casted in a
democratic state during election is valid, notwithstanding wealth or position
of the person who casted the vote. This
is exactly what is called equality.
9.
Fundamental human rights: Fundamental human rights are also
very important features of a democratic state. They are those inalienable and
immutable rights that are given to a member of a state as soon as he/she is
born. These rights help to protect the
citizens of that state from molestations by dictators. This is why it is
important that the Fundamental human rights of people in a democratic state be
entrenched in the constitution of every state. There
are other fundamental human rights that also help to ensure effective practice
of democracy. The freedom of the press is one of them. Evidently, press freedom
is one of the essential pillars of a democratic state. It is also one of the
main features of democracy.
Elements of Democracy
Democracy is defined as a “form of government in
which the common people hold political power.” This means common people can
either become country leaders through the electoral process or elect
leaders who represent their core values and beliefs. In terms of the number of
democratic countries in the world, as of 2018, there were 99
democracies globally.
Since
there are different types of democracies, there are different criteria for each
type. Democracy is essentially the opposite of a dictatorship. A democracy of any kind generally includes four elements:
·
Elections
system for choosing government type and officials
·
Human
rights protection for all
·
Citizens
actively participating in civics and politics
·
Laws
apply equally to all citizens
Countries of the World with Best Practice of Democracy
While
worldwide organizations like the United Nations (UN) do not endorse any
one type of government as the best, they do promote democracy because it
provides greater participation, equality, security, and human development for
people. According to the scores given by the Democracy Index in 2019, these
countries represent the best democratic governments in the world. All of them
have a full democracy:
1. Norway
- 9.87
2. Iceland
- 9.58
3. Sweden
- 9.39
4. New
Zealand - 9.26
5. Finland
- 9.25
The process of Democracy
The
popular definition of democracy offered by Abraham Lincoln gives the impression
that all the citizens have the opportunities of participating in government.
However, this is no longer possible in the modern world because of the size of
sovereign states today. Since the world has advanced beyond the Greek
city-states participatory democracy is no longer practicable, hence the
necessity for indirect or representative democracy. Through this process, given
that all necessary conditions are in place, it is quite possible to achieve the
ideals of democracy. Political power comes from the people and that a
government is only legally constituted and run when the people gives their
consent. The democratic process is therefore the institutional arrangements for
arriving at political decisions in which individual acquires and retain the
power to rule by means of a competitive struggle for the people’s vote.
The
success of any democratic political system is largely, determined by the
willingness on the part of the political actors to comply with the rules of the
game. A democratic political system will therefore be stable if the process of
leadership recruitment is legitimate and majority of the citizens accept the
electoral system as fair and just. Presently, the United States and most
European countries have succeeded in meeting most conditions for the sustenance
of democracy, while most third world countries are still struggling to lay the
foundation or rudiments, in order to begin the democratic journey. Democracy
goes beyond mere putting in place political structures and institutions, but
also involves meaningful participation of the peoples in the affairs of the
state. The key words therefore are participation, transparency and
accountability.
As
aptly argued by Samuel P. Huntington (Huntington, 1991), democracy has advanced
in waves since the early nineteenth Century, with each wave giving way to
partial reversals followed by new gains. The current wave, which is the third
one, according to him, commenced in the mid-seventies. Thus, contemporary views
on democracy see it as the exercise of state power with the consent of the
people either directly or indirectly through their elected representatives.
Within democratic governance there is provision for state institutions to
express the will of the state and ultimately for the supremacy of that
expression on all basic questions of socioeconomic direction and policy. Under
democratic governance, factors such as economic equality, fraternal feeling and
political liberty within a defined territory are indispensable pre-requisites.
The
institutional expression within democratic governance in contemporary times are:
1. Equal rights for all normal adults to vote and
to stand as candidates for election.
2. Periodic
elections.
3. Equal eligibility for executive and judicial
offices (provided the essential qualifications for the performance of the
assigned duties are satisfied)
4. Freedom of speech.
5. Publication
and association (Appadoria, 2004).
These
rights in themselves provide opportunities for the entire citizenry to participate
in choosing their rulers and in deciding the general lines of their policy via
their political manifestos presented before elections. However, a number of
factors, most significant of which are the social environment, economic
resource of the citizens and their natural endowment decide the extent to which
these essential democratic sine qua non rights can be met.
Nonetheless,
in most democratic states in spite of their imperfections, even the poor are
given minimal equality of voting during elections since votes are counted, not
weighed, regardless of the social or economic status of the voters. Among such
rights that can promote the cause of democracy are freedoms of speech, press
and association.
These rights are integral to democratic
governance because they make possible free discussion and the continuous
participation of the citizenry in government, overtime and not only during the
time of general elections. Free discussion is necessary because democratic
governance is based on the belief in the value of individual personality. This
implies the obligation to respect the other man, to listen to his views and to
take into account his point of argument. In addition, the process of law making
should allow full scope for the consideration of different and opposing
viewpoints. Those who are inevitably affected by a law must be content that
their case has been properly heard in a properly constituted court of law in
the land (Egbewole; 2008). This makes the ‘Rule of Law’ a cardinal element of
democracy (Dicey 1963). Equality before the law, impartiality in the
dispensation of justice and periodic elections are also important in promoting
hitch-free democratic process. There is also the possibility of an alternative
government in democratic governance. This is in sharp contrast to a situation
where power is conferred permanently, or where people do not feel free or safe
to discuss or vote according to the dictates of their conscience. Where this is
the case then democracy cannot be said to exist even if the people continue to
enjoy the other political rights enumerated above.
Finally, democratic governance requires
proper organization and dynamic leadership. Political parties carry out
organization within democratic governance. Despite their limitations or
weaknesses, political parties are indispensable to the successful operation of
a democratic society (Bello-imam, 2002). Little wonder political parties are
regarded as the fulcrum of democracy.
Lastly, we must point out that it is not
possible to isolate the principle of democracy from its process because one
needs to reconcile the two in such a way that a state should use the right
method or process to achieve the objectives of democracy.
0 Comments