MODEL OF DEMOCRACY

WESTERN VS. COMMUNIST

General Forms of Democracy

Democracy has taken a number of forms, both in theory and practice. These are: direct, indirect or representative, parliamentary, Liberal or western and communist model of democracy.

Direct democracy

Direct democracy is a political system where the citizens participate in the decision-making personally, contrary to relying on intermediaries or representatives. A direct democracy gives the voting population the power to:

•       Change constitutional laws,

•       Put forth initiatives, referendums and suggestions for laws,

•       Give binding orders to elective officials, such as revoking them before the end of their elected term.

Indirect or Representative Democracy

Indirect or Representative Democracy involves the selection of government officials by the people being represented. A characteristic of representative democracy is that while the representatives are elected by the people to act in their interest, they retain the freedom to exercise their own judgment as how best to do so.

Liberal model of democracy

•       Liberal model of democracy is a representative democracy in which the ability of the elected representatives to exercise decision-making power is subject to the rule of law, and usually moderated by a constitution that emphasizes the protection of the rights and freedoms of individuals.

Communist model of Democracy

Communist model of Democracy is a type of democracy, which implies necessarily the end of the division between different classes of society. It is part of the workers' democratic movement, and struggles :

•       for the abolition of capitalism, wage labour, and the division of human beings into social classes ;

•       for the end of the dictatorship of the capitalist class, and to replace it with direct democracy;

•       for a socialist-communist society;

•       for the end of sexism and male domination;

Major Types of Democracy in present context

   

 

•       Western model of democracy can also be considered as liberal democracy. Comparatively, this model of democracy is open than communist model. Because, in western "real-democracy" the people have more power than in an autocratic system, however, that is very limited.

•       John Locke says people in the state of nature had three natural rights: right to life, right to liberty and right to property.

IDEA of Peter H. Merki

Political scientist Peter H. Merkl has mentioned four principle of liberal democracy in his book named “Political Continuity and Change”. These are:

•       Democracy is a government by consent. That can be acquired by public discussion or periodic election.

•       Majority rule which means the decisions are taken by the majority vote on the principle of one-person – one vote.

•       The recognition of minority rights through legal safeguards.

•       Constitutional government, which means a government by laws and not by personal interests.

IDEA of Robert A. Dahl

Robert A. Dahl, Sterling Professor of Political Science at Yale University who support western democracy said that, in a democratic process of making collectively binding decisions, each citizen must have an adequate and equal opportunity of expressing a preference concerning the final outcome, and the preferences expressed must be taken equally into account.

IDEA of Liberal Political Scientists

•       Liberal political scientist says: democracy is the political system, where both political order and progress can go together and there is no necessity of a revolution.

•       Liberal democracy permits plural character. It emphasizes the role of multi party system and pressure groups in a political system. Thus, pluralist political scientists blamed the political system of former USSR and China is undemocratic because of not allowing plural system. Plural concept admits that power in society is shared by many groups.

Features of Western Democracy

In western model of democracy, like liberal democracy, people should have right to participate in political activities. Basically, as western model of democracy, liberal democracy may include following elements:

•       politipluralism;

•       equality before the law;

•       the right to petition

•       elected officials for redress of grievances;

•       due process; civil liberties; human rights; and

•       elements of cal civil society outside the government

Human Rights as integral part of Civil and Political Rights

Western model compares democracy with first generation of human rights. The first generation of human rights covers civil and political rights. Civil rights include right to life, liberty and equality. On the other hand, political rights include right to participate in political matters, right to vote, right to hold public posts on the basis of approved norms and values.

Universal Declaration of Democracy
Key principles of Democracy

•       Freedom, equality, transparency and responsibility, with due respect for the plurality of views as conditions of democracy.

•       No one is above the law and all are equal before the law.

•       Peace and economic, social and cultural development are both conditions for and fruits of democracy.

•       The key element in the exercise of democracy is the holding of free and fair elections. These elections must be held on the basis of universal, equal and secret suffrage so that all voters can choose their representatives in conditions of equality, openness and transparency that stimulate political competition.

•       Function of the State to ensure the enjoyment of civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights to its citizens.

•       Public accountability, which is essential to democracy, applies to all those who hold public authority.

•       People participation should be accepted every matter of state.

•       Judicial institutions and independent, impartial and effective oversight mechanisms are the guarantors for the rule of law

•       Active civil society is an essential element of democracy