What is Democracy Why Democracy Test - 10

Main disadvantages of a democratic system are:

• Leaders keep changing in democracy and this may lead to instability.
• Democracy is all about political competition and power play, so often there is no scope for morality.
• So many people have to be consulted in a democracy that it leads to delays in decision making.
• Elected leaders sometimes do not know the best interest of the people, so it leads to bad decisions.

The ultimate test of free and fair election is the acceptance of the election results by the voters. If elections are not free or fair, the voters will not accept the results. It is logical to assume that if the elections are not free and fair, and rigging or mal practices have taken place, the ruling party should always win, as it is more powerful than the opposition.

Democracy is a system in which people rule the country through the elected representatives. Rule by majority, rights of minorities, universal adult franchise are the features of democratic government. Usually a democratic country will have a formal constitution, regular elections, ruling and opposite parties.

In the nineteenth century struggles for democracy often centered around political equality, freedom, and justice. One major demand was the right for every adult citizen to vote. Many European countries that were becoming democratic did not initially allow all people to vote. Those struggling for democracy wanted this right granted universally to all adults- men or women, rich or poor, white or black. This is called the Universal adult franchise.

This is the strength of our electoral system which enjoys the faith of both the defeated and winning candidates. Barring very few disputed elections, the electoral outcomes are usually accepted as 'people's verdict' by the defeated party.

In Myanmar anyone caught publicly airing views or issuing statements critical of the regime can be sentenced up to twenty years in prison. People have no say under the army rule. The army rule of Myanmar is not elected by the people. Pinochet of Chile was a military dictator.

Following are the things that lead to the spread of democracy:

Democracies need to ensure the following things:-

Adult suffrage is the right to vote given to all people irrespective of caste, creed, religion, sex, economic status etc. This is based on democracy through which people can elect their own representatives.

Democracy facilitates equality as its basic foundation principle. The democratic governance pays heed to the needs of all people irrespective of their gender, caste, colour, status etc. as democracy survives on the active participation of the people and it is the people in which real authority lies under the democracy.