REPRESENTATIVE

DEMOCRACY
• The beginning of representative democracy;
• The key elements of representative democracy;
• The diversity of representative regimes.
THE BEGINNING OF REPRESENTATIVE
DEMOCRACY
• The narrow definition of R.D. implies five conditions:
Freedom of Expression, Right to dissent, Right to
Vote and Elect the Representative Government,
Presence of a free Media and a Multiparty System.
• A full definition claims “Democracy is a state system
of the people, by the people and for the people”
and it actually transcends the boundary of the
narrow idea of representative Democracy..
• Indirect democracy
• Citizens elect representatives to make decisions for them
• This is also referred to as a Republic
IDEAL DEMOCRACY: MEANING OF ITS
THREE COMPONENTS
• “Of the people “means people own the state, state is
not an alienated organ of power above the people.
• “By the people” means all the organs of the state and all
their functions can be controlled by the people.
• “For the people” means the results of democratic rule is
good for the people as judged by themselves.
• The second definition is a larger, more complete and
more ideal definition of Democracy. The five institutions
covering mainly civil and political rights are necessary
but not sufficient for the ideal definition of democracy.
 PRACTICE OF DEMOCRACY AS A
CULTURE
• People always try to be empowered in the various
spheres of political practice, economic practice,
educational practice, health practice, etc.
• Democratic culture is a culture of decision making
through open debate and reasoning. and minority
giving way to the majority.
• Examples of Non –State Democracy: Inner party
democracy, Neighborhood democracy, Grass root
democracy, Enterprise democracy, Academic
democracy, Democratization of Military, judiciary
and bureaucracy, etc.
• There are two types of democracy

• I.) DIRECT DEMOCRACY- where the people make the key

political decisions by themselves. This abolishes any distinction
between the state and the citizens as it is a form of self-
government. The effectiveness of this model of democracy is
directly proportional to the extent of popular participation.

• II.) REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY- this is an indirect and limited

form of democracy where the people choose who shall make
decisions on their behalf. The people vote for their
representative who speaks on behalf of their constituents. The
representative can be re-elected or removed during
elections. The success of this model of democracy is also
directly proportional to popular control over the government.
• Features of direct democracy: • Historic examples of direct
democracy include Ancient
• I.) Popular participation is direct; Athens and communal
citizens themselves make decisions,
they are not confined to choosing tribes, whilst modern day
individuals who do. examples are the use of
referendums which inform a
• II.) Popular participation is government’s decision.
unmediated; the people are the
government, there is no separate elite
or ruling-class between the
government and their people.

• III.) Popular participation is

continuous. Citizens engage in
politics on a regular basis as all
decisions are directly made by the
people.
• Benefits of direct democracy: • Drawbacks of direct democracy:

• I.) It is the only form of “pure” democracy. It ensures • I.) Direct democracy is
that people will obey the law, as many are likely to
obey the laws that they personally approve. Their incredibly unworkable in the
“general will” becomes law. There is not a gulf modern world. This form of
between the government and the people. democracy requires all citizens to
engage in politics and decision-
• II.) Personal development; direct democracy leads to making (reflected in the idea of
an educated society. Citizens are informed and political equality.) All citizens
knowledgeable as many are encouraged to take part must be able to meet in a single
in politics to understand how their society works or place to express their opinion.
even should work. This is impossible for the entire
population.
• III.) Direct democracy does not allow for the people
to put their faith with elected politicians who • II.) Also direct democracy
constantly spin doctor the truth in order to distort
public opinion. implies that politics is the only
job for citizens, they cannot be
expected to have careers or a
• IV.) Legitimate government; direct democracy personal life, citizens would not
ensures that government is stable and 100%
legitimate as citizens are responsible for the be able to engage in any other
decisions they make and cannot blame anyone else. activities.
• Drawbacks of representative democracy:

• I.) Representative democracy in theory is a formality. This

is because the act of voting is when the government
decides the election. The people in theory do not hold
any control over the government between elections,
making representative democracy unsuccessful.

• II.) There has been a growing concern of how politicians

represent the people, whether it is through the doctrine
of the mandate, the delegate model, trustee ship or by
descriptive representation. Seems that all have failed to
represent those who they claim to represent.
 FUNDAMENTAL PROBLEM OF
NARROW REPRESENTATIVE
DEMOCRACY
• In any class divided society we may define “People” in terms of two major criteria:
non exploiters and overwhelming majority of the population.
• In every state there is going on various power struggles between the “PEOPLE” and
“PEOPLE’S ENEMIES”.
• The Narrow definition of democracy overlooks the existing inequalities and gives
equal political right to both people and people’s enemies.
• Naturally people rarely succeed to realize political success with rudimentary
economic power, scanty knowledge and lower social power. They have numerical
advantage but real strength is generally poor. (E.g. Bourgeoisie Democracies in the
RM)
• But we also know merely economically empowered people without formal political
and civil rights or freedom do not run their country by themselves. (E.g. Democracy
in North Korea!)
• Neither Economic democracy nor political democracy is isolated sufficient for full
democracy
 OTHER VARIOUS LIMITATIONS OF
REPRESENTATIVE SYSTEM
1. No direct Participation, Voice and Vigilance
• Citizens get no direct say on any particular issue, or
day to day policies which actually affect them
hugely.
• If Media does not pick up their issues, then the voice
remains unheard!
• Democracy becomes power of the people for the
Election Day alone!
• There are always artificial limits to participation.
Often even in the most "open" democracies,
defined groups (such as children, non-citizens, and
criminals) are not given any voice.
2. Corrupt Practice-Corrupt Candidates-Mediocre
Leaders
• Because representatives are given power, they are
prone to corruption. Their power can be used to
enrich themselves and their friends (as opposed to
those of their constituents).
• Because of the concentration of power, use of
money and muscle it becomes extremely difficult
for an ordinary citizen to get elected. Corrupts are
winning candidates.
• Given the chance of winning of the better
candidates less, bad money drives good money
away. Mediocre become leaders.
3. Serving the interests of a few
• Decision-making processes involving a small
number of elected representatives can be easily
captured by the elite to promote their interest
mainly.
• Politicians serving the same elite class need to
differentiate themselves from each other in order to
distinguish themselves as the best candidate for
office. This requires them to focus on trivial issues of
conflict and avoid reaching significant agreements
with their opponents. As a result national issues or
common issues are ignored too.
4. No Right to recall and “Winner takes all” politics
• People can not withdraw their support and change
their representative whenever they feel so. They
have to wait till next election.
• The minority loses everything even if it gets 49% of
votes.
5.Threat of temporary suspension of democracy
• Democratic majority or a revolutionary movement in a
particular country can sometimes suspend the
democratic laws and rules for a transitional period. There
is a danger that it may become permanent.
•
• Temporary emergency can be proclaimed by the
democratic polity especially at any crisis moment.

• Representative democracies often concentrate all

power in the hand of a single leader. Thus, suffer from
the inherent flaw of feudal governments: kill the king and
the entire state is critically injured. If a president, prime
minister, party chairman, etc. is killed the entire body
becomes unstable and paves the way for non
democratic intervention.
 IDEAL CONDITIONS OF
COMPREHENSIVE DEMOCRACY
• An opportunity for vibrant fearless public discourse on all
issues concerning people’s interest.
• The election system should be free, fair and Pluralist.
• Every contestant should enjoy level playing field.
• Representatives should always be transparent and
continuously remain accountable to its constituents in
pre and post election period.
• People should have the opportunity to protest or
counteract the abuse of representative power in all
areas affecting their interest.
• Ideal democracy is possible only in primitive societies
and in a family where the members run their affairs on
the basis of certain principles e.g. collective ownership,
from each according to his/her capacity and to each
according to his/her needs and democratic decision
making process as long as scarcity and trade-off exists.
 TOOLS OF DIRECT DEMOCRACY

• Initiatives

• Referendums

The Progressive movement fought to empower citizens

with tools of direct democracy.
 CITIZENSHIP AND DELIBERATIVE
DEMOCRACY
• In order for a democracy to function well, citizens must be
educated about their rights and responsibilities.

What are the different levels of rights?

• Natural rights

• Civil rights

• Political rights
 THE KEY ELEMENTS OF
REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY
1. Citizen Involvement

• Political representation, on almost any account, will exhibit the

following five components:
• some party that is representing (the representative, an
organization, movement, state agency, etc.);
• some party that is being represented (the constituents, the
clients, etc.);
• something that is being represented (opinions, perspectives,
interests, discourses, etc.); and
• a setting within which the activity of representation is taking
place (the political context).
• something that is being left out (the opinions, interests, and
perspectives not voiced).
1. Citizen Involvement
2. System of Representation
3. Rule of Law
4. Electoral System
5. Equality
6. Freedom, Liberty, and Rights
7. Education
8. System of Representation
9. Rule of Law
10. Electoral System
11. Equality
12. Freedom, Liberty, and Rights
13. Education
 1) CITIZEN INVOLVEMENT

• Direct Democracy: Citizens take part personally in

deliberations and vote on issues. Citizens debate
and vote on all laws.

• Representative Democracy: Citizens choose (elect)

other citizens to debate and pass on laws.
 PARTICIPATION

1. Voting.
2. Political parties and/or interest groups.
3. Political meetings or public hearings, discussing
politics, calling your representative
ELITIST THEORIES OF DEMOCRACY

Proponents Say:
• Elites (usually “experts” but not necessarily) should
rule.
• Citizens choose between elite proposals.
• Result is a smoothly running and efficient
government and society.
• Politics is too complex for average citizens to be
able to create good policy.
ELITIST THEORIES OF DEMOCRACY

Opponents Say:
•Efficiency is not as
important as citizen
influence on policy
making.
•Average citizen is
capable of
understanding the
complexity of
politics.
 PLURALISM

Proponents Say:
• Competing interest groups check each other’s
power none become too strong.
• Protects citizens from centralized power.
• Recognizes, Protects, and Promotes diversity of
interests within society.
 PLURALISM

Opponents Say:
• Overriding interest remains: stay in power!
• Does not protect freedom unless freedom is in the
interest of the powerful.
• It maintains the status quo does not provide
opportunity to change an unjust system.
 CORPORATISM

Proponents Say:
• Interest groups are integrated into the government.
• More harmonious interactions within society.
• Interest groups help government make policy that
reflects the common good and interests of the
society.
• Increases the power of unelected people
• Reduces citizen involvement
 THE “IRON TRIANGLE”

Department of Labor
(Government)

Business Unions
Organizations
 PARTICIPATORY DEMOCRACY

• Low voter turnout should not be “rationalized.”

• Advocate “Citizen Law Makers” People are
more likely to follow laws they help make.
• If we must have representative democracy then
we must create incentives for more participation.
For example:
1. Term limits
2. Recall Elections
 PARTICIPATORY DEMOCRACY

• Opponents Say:
• Impractical in large republics
• Policies will less often be made by experts
2)A SYSTEM OF REPRESENTATION

• Citizens delegate power to representatives to act

for them.
• Edmund Burke (1729-1797): representatives are
independent agents.
• Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778): “Any law
which the people have not ratified in person is null,
it is not a law.”
 3) RULE OF LAW

• Law is supreme,
• nobody is above the law, even those who make
law
• against divine right doctrine
• popular sovereignty—all power emanates from the
people.
 4) THE ELECTORAL SYSTEM

• Conflict over procedure of choosing

representatives
• Electoral process begins with the selection of
candidates—But how does one become a
candidate?
• Importance of access to information.
• Result of not voting is the transference of political
power to others.
 MAJORITY RULE

• %50 + 1
• US system is “Winner take all” or “first past the post”.
• Result: Minority view is not represented
 IN REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA

• Proportional representation
• The 101 seats in the Parliament were elected using
a parallel voting system introduced in 2017; 50 MPs
were elected by proportional representation in a
single nationwide constituency, with the other 51
elected from single-member constituencies
• For the nationwide constituency, the electoral
threshold varies depending on the type of list; for
single parties or organizations it was 6%; for alliances
of two parties it was 9%, and for alliances of three or
more parties it was 11%. For independent
candidates the threshold was 2%. Turnout must be
at least 33% to validate the results. There is still
controversy against the new election system and a
referendum in 2018 against it was considered
possible
 MOLDOVA ELECTIONS AND
REFERENDUMS IN MOLDOVA

• Parliamentary elections
• 1985 1990 1994 1998 2001 2005 2009 (Apr) 2009 (Jul)
2010 2014 2019 Next
• Presidential elections
• 1991 1996 2016 2020 2024
• Local elections
• 1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019
• Referendums
• 1994 1999 2010 2019
 MINORITY VOICE

• Some rights can’t be taken away by the majority.

• In the USA, government cannot take rights away
without 2/3rd house and senate and ¾ of state
legislative
 5) EQUALITY

• Definition: sameness in relevant aspects

• Disagreement over definition:
A. political equality
B. equality before the law
C. equality of opportunity
D. economic equality
E. equality of respect or social equality;
NATURAL RIGHTS AND CIVIL RIGHTS:

• Natural Rights: Rights a person has a human being

• Civil Rights: Rights derived from government.
HOW DO WE LIMIT GOVERNMENT?

• Frequent elections
• Watch dogs
• Civil disobedience
• Protest
• Revolution
 BENEFITS OF REPRESENTATIVE
DEMOCRACY:

• I.) Practical democracy. Representative democracy is the only form of democracy that is
effectively workable in the modern world; popular participation is brief and limited.

• II.) Government by experts. Representative democracy places decision-making with

professional politicians, these people are generally more educated and experienced than the
masses of the people. Therefore they are able to govern according to their superior knowledge
they possess for the national interest.

• III.) Representative democracy provides mediation between the public and the government.
Ordinary citizens are free to get on with their lives as they are relieved from the burden of
decision-making, allowing many citizens to have careers and social life as they only choose
who gets to govern.

• IV.) Political stability is created. Representative democracy maintains stability as the public
are distanced from politics; the more involved we become the more passionate and committed
we become, unwilling to accept compromise. Political stability is maintained as citizens of the
state are likely to accept compromise.
 FEATURES OF REPRESENTATIVE
DEMOCRACY:

• I.) Popular participation is indirect; citizens choose

who make the decisions through the electoral vote.

• II.) Popular participation is limited as the act of

voting is limited to every few years.

• III.) Popular participation is mediated; people are

linked to the government through various
institutions.
 THE DIVERSITY OF REPRESENTATIVE
REGIMES.
• Liberal democracy

• A liberal democracy is a form of representative democracy, therefore indirect. The

right to rule and govern is gained through electoral success based on political
equality (one person, one vote). It combines the liberal goal of limited government
with a commitment to democracy and popular participation.

• In a liberal democracy, the basic conditions must be met:

• -Elections must respect the principle of universal suffrage and are to be free and
fair.
• -Civil liberties and individual rights are guaranteed
• -The government must operate in a legal, constitutional framework
• -A capitalist or private enterprise economy.

• A Liberal democracy attempts to balance the need for democracy with individual
freedoms and rights.
• There are 2 main types of liberal democracy:

• I.) There is CONSTITUTIONAL DEMOCRACY where the

government operates within clear constitutional
guidelines, ensuring the protection of individual and
minority rights. Constitutional democracy is associated
with countries that have a codified constitution, USA,
France and Germany.

• II.) There is MAJORITARIAN DEMOCRACY where majority

interests take precedence over the minorities, as the
majority speaks on behalf of the people. This majority
rule emphasizes the collective interests of society, rather
than the individual interests.
 EXPERIENCES OF DEMOCRACY
THROUGH CAPTURING STATE POWER
OR REVOLUTION
• Bourgeoisie democratic revolutions in Europe
compromised their democratic spirit for narrow
bourgeoisie interest and out of their fear against
people’s uprisings.
• Socialist revolution in USSR after a spring of development
of comprehensive democratization, later at some point
of history became bureaucratic, centralized and
stagnant and elitist.
• National liberation revolution established various kinds of
national democracies against
• their two common enemies---- Feudalism or remnants of
feudalism and Imperialism or neo-colonialism. The record
of their achievements is mixed.
 EXPERIENCE OF DEMOCRACY
THROUGH REFORMING
SOCIAL/ECONOMIC/ADMINISTRATIVE
INSTITUTIONS.
• It has been proved again and again “Absolute Power
corrupts absolutely”
• Representative Democracy may be a necessary evil at
least at macro level as a state form.
• We must try to ensure constant transparency, vigilance
and effective countervailing power against our
representatives to enforce their accountability to their
constituencies..
• An active media. An active civil society, independent
judiciary, pro people or at least a neutral bureaucracy,
Ombudsman system, Powerful Control commissions of
the democratic parties, Institutions for check and
balance and scope for complain from the weak against
the powerful, proportionate election system,
Decentralization, all these may help greatly to perfect
the existing partial democracies in South Asia.
•Thank you