What is democracy?
D
emocracy is government ‘by the people’. It lets the population as a whole choose how they will live and run their country. There are lots of versions of democracy, but they share some basic ideas. Democracy offers people the chance to take part in civic and public life. It recognises human rights and basic freedoms and provides a set of laws that protects all people equally. People can vote in fair and free elections to choose who governs. If they don’t like the government, they can change it at the next election. The transfer of power from one set of elected officials to the next is orderly and peaceful. Everyone knows how to do it and behaves themselves.
THE PEOPLE WHO CAN VOTE in elections are the ‘electorate’. That’s usually any adult who lives permanently in the nation. They have to be alive, human and resident – simple!
What do we want?
Can’t:
Can:
10
THE ELECTORATE can vote to choose which individuals or parties will govern, or vote on particular issues. In a modern democracy, each person has one vote and each person’s vote has the same value – at least in principle.
