democracy

Democracy is a political concept referring to a society administered by a democratic government, in which all adult citizens have a say in social and political decisions that affect the country. It is widely viewed as the most fair and progressive form of government, since it reflects the will of the majority, while also granting and protecting the rights of minorities.

The way by which individuals can express their will regarding initiatives that affect everyone is voting. A distinction is made between direct democracies and representative democracies. In direct democracies, people vote on policies directly, while in representative democracies, the people elect a number of representatives (which constitute the country's legislature) who then vote on policy initiatives in the name of the people. However, many representative democracies also allow for three forms of direct political action on the part of the people, namely referendum, citizens' initiative and recall.

The referendum is a direct vote in which the electorate is asked to accept or reject a specific proposal. The citizens' imitative is a petition signed by a certain number of registered voters that can eventually force a public vote, or referendum. A recall is a political procedure by which registered voters can remove an elected official from service before their term has expired. Recalls are also initiated via petition.

You'll find bloggers talking about democracy at sites like economist.com and dailycaller.com.

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Original Technorati articles tagged “democracy”

• in Politics
  Pressure for Military Intervention in Syria Grows
  Assad Seems To Underestimate Opposition to his Regime
  by Mozart99 / on Jan 15, 2012
• in Politics
  Is the Death of the Lokpal Good Riddance or Bad Rubbish for Indian Democracy?
  What broke the fun was the objection Mamta Banerjee raised to a clause permitting the central government to enact anti corruption laws for the states, a promise extracted by Anna Hazare from a parliament under duress which it has no power to deliver.
  by forgevalley / on Dec 30, 2011
• in Politics
  India’s Lokpal – Shooting His Own Foot With Democracy?
  What is extra ordinary about the whole democratic event which is unfolding in India is the question of how much influence a mass agitation outside can wield on the elected representatives engaged in legislation inside the parliament
  by forgevalley / on Dec 28, 2011

Latest blogosphere posts tagged “democracy”

 

• Compound interest

  
  Neighbourhoods — Authority: 101
  Heres a lesson in grassroots democracy, from Libya. The BBC have a short report from Gabriel Gatehouse on a local democratic initiative emerging from the ruins of Colonel Gaddafis former compound in Tripoli. After Gaddafis cronies fled, apparently some 68 families moved in to the various buildings, some of which ...
  19 hours ago

• For the defense

  
  Mon Casiple's Weblog on Philippine Politics — Authority: 92
  The Corona impeachment trial is entering its third week. In that time, both the prosecution and the defense have shown their mettle. To be fair to the prosecution, they were dogged in their determination to maintain a steady pace of uncovering and presenting their evidence and witnesses. To be sure, they got whipped ...
  20 hours ago

• From Montgomery Blair Sibley on Judicial Abuses and the Myth of Judicial Immunity as a “Common Law Tradition”

  
  TIERRA LIMPIA by Charles Lincoln — Authority: 106
  An Account of Some Instances of the Practice of Former Times in Order to the Improvement of Justice and Safeguard of the Constitution  Montgomery Blair Sibley wrote, at http://amoprobos.blogspot.com/search/label/Judicial%20Tyranny A dear colleague of mine has brought an interesting book to my … Continue reading ...
  20 hours ago

• Dragon Tattoo Shows Too Much Skin for India

  
  Truthdig: Drilling Beneath the Headlines — Authority: 700
  India may be the world’s biggest democracy, but it has a little something to learn about free expression. Film censors have banned the Hollywood version of “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” because of three sexual and/or violent scenes. Related Entries January 26, 2012 A Unique Face of Evil January 20, ...
  20 hours ago

• "Irish Voters are unlikely to endorse a European Austerity Treaty in 2012" by Nat OConnor

  
  Social Europe Journal — Authority: 118
  Irish democracy may become Europe’s focus in 2012, if the Merkel-Sarkozy ‘stability and growth union’ proposals are put to a vote of the Irish people. Any change to the Constitution of Ireland...
  21 hours ago

• Egyptians Use Graffiti to Reclaim Streets (Slide Show)

  
  Politics Blog — Authority: 130
  Two children walk past graffiti on a wall in Cairo, Egypt in late december. by AYA BATRAWY, Associated Press CAIRO (AP) — The conflict between Egypt’s ruling military and pro-democracy protesters isn’t just on the streets of Cairo, it’s on the walls as well, as graffiti artists from each side duel it out with ...
  1 day ago

• Opportunity for constitutional reform in Jamaica

  
  IntLawGrrls — Authority: 121
  At her swearing-in ceremony as Jamaica’s seventh Prime Minister a few weeks ago, Portia Simpson Miller (right) announced her government’s intention to begin the process of removing all ties with the British monarchy to make Jamaica an independent republic. (Prior IntLawGrrls post ) A product of the ...
  1 day ago

• The new Twitter censorship policy might not be as bad as it looks

  
  Writing Cave — Authority: 92
  There is lots of buzz on the Internet regarding the recent announcement by Twitter that it would be blocking certain tweets in certain countries, although the same tweets will be available in the countries outside of the jurisdiction of those countries wanting to block that particular content. In the beginning, as ...
  1 day ago

• The concept of local governments emerged in 18th and 19th centuries

  
  Light of Peace — Authority: 104
  Modern system of local government emerged in the 18 th and 19 th centuries. Their units were the administrative units of former monarchies which were being transformed into modern nation-states. In the 20 th century two new types of local political systems developed, both resulting from major political upheavals. ...
  2 days ago

• The Cold War Minute for January 28

  
  The Cold War Minute — Authority: 110
  BerlinBrigade.com presents The Cold War Minute: January 28 edition. In this episode, we talk about Canada, Ronald Reagan, Energy Crisis, Red Brigade, Space Shuttle Challenger You can also download the todays episode of The Cold War Minute by right clicking and saving here for January 28 KEYWORDS: • ...
  2 days ago

• Ancient Greece: Athenian Democracy, Classroom Poster

  
  Positive Liberty — Authority: 102
  Ancient Greece: Athenian Democracy, Classroom Poster Ancient Greece: Athenian Democracy,Classroom Poster 12″ x 18″ Poster on High Quality heavy 80lb satin cover paper – durable and can stand up to all kinds of abuse and it won’t pucker and wrinkle like others do. This new poster is a PosterEnvy ...
  2 days ago

• Ketuanan Melayu is UMNO’s lifeblood

  
  Din Merican: the Malaysian DJ Blogger — Authority: 425
  January 28,2012 www.freemalaysiakini.com Ketuanan Melayu is UMNO’s lifeblood by Salena Tay@www.freemalaysiatoday.com “This will be a never-ending game of race and religion orchestrated by UMNO. And you can add in the Hang Tuah card, too, unless the rakyat will put a stop to all these unethical abuse ...
  2 days ago

• Peru: Uchuraccay relatives reject MOVADEF

  
  Memory in Latin America — Authority: 97
  (Its the time of year when Peru recalls the killings of eight journalists in Uchuraccay in 1983. Relatives of the victims have spoken of their opposition to MOVADEF, a group linked to Shining Path. The Peruvian journalists assocation ANP has also taken the opportunity to voice its opposition to a bill which could ...
  2 days ago

• Persepolis trial in Tunisia is postponed again

  
  top99news - breaking news from the world top newspapers — Authority: 163
  http://www.guardian.co.uk Persepolis trial in Tunisia is postponed again Trial of Tunisian TV station accused of ‘insulting sacred values’ of Islam for screening Marjane Satrapi’s animated film is adjourned until April following further altercationsA trial of a Tunisian TV station charged with ...
  3 days ago

• Kamal Davar- The goalposts have changed

  
  Techno-Guru - Latest Technology News India, Latest Breaking Bollywood News of India, Online Shopping — Authority: 133
  Of its nearly 65 years of turbulent history, Pakistan has been under the military rule for about 40 years. In recent decades, no civilian government has managed to successfully complete its full five-year tenure. Today, history seems to be at the cusp of repeating itself, as there are high chances of a military ...
  3 days ago

• What is Democracy? (58): A Voice Based Selection Process for Politicians

  
  P.A.P. Blog - Human Rights Etc. — Authority: 113
  Barry White for President It’s both a damning verdict on democracy and a charming play on words: voters apparently use their vote to choose politicians with a certain type of voice (the word “vote” being related to “voice”). More precisely, voters prefer politicians with lower-pitched voices: ...
  3 days ago

• Pups on Parade: EU Obediently Pushes Toward War with Iran

  
  Dr Nasir Khan — Authority: 414
  By Chris Floyd, Empire Burlesque , Jan 23, 2012 This week, the warlords of the West took yet another step toward their long-desired war againt Iran. (Open war, that is; their covert war has been going on for decades — via subversion, terrorism, and proxies like Saddam Hussein.) On Monday, the European Union ...
  3 days ago

• Claim and Counterclaim: Who Is Bombing Damascus?

  
  Paternal Prose — Authority: 146
  A handout picture from the official Syrian News Agency (SANA) shows onlookers gathering on January 6, 2012 at the site of a powerful explosion in the Midan neighbourhood in the heart of Damascus. AFP / Getty Images In the recent past, it wasn’t unusual to hear Syrians (those who dared whisper about politics) say ...
  4 days ago

• Megaupload - a developing story

  
  No quality without security — Authority: 121
  Most of the servers of Megaupload are still ready to become operational again (except probably for those in Holland and the…
  4 days ago

• Poll panel showcases ballot power in R-Day parade (Lead)

  
  Thaindian News — Authority: 534
  New Delhi, Jan 26 (IANS) Amid a grand display of India’s military might, the Election Commission for the first time in the history of Republic Day parade Thursday put on show the power of ballot too, and sought to woo the electorate, particularly youngsters, to come out to vote.The panel marked its first [...]
  4 days ago

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