The State Of Democracy Around The World - 1721 Words

For the first time in known history, most people around the world are living under democratic ruling. Although to many this can be seen as a positive step forward from the gruelling nature of dictatorship and other forms of governance, one needs to understand the true nature of the worlds democratic state. This report will investigate and analyse the state of democracy around the various countries of the world and elaborate on the chosen countries democratic crisis and state of governance. Originating from the Greek terms demos, meaning ‘people’ and kratos, meaning ‘rule,’ democracy essentially means to ‘rule by the people’ (Hague and Harrop, 2013, p. 43). One could argue however, that democracy is considerably more than just a form of governance. For any nation to be considered democratic it must hold free and fair multi-party elections, must be free of any corruption and promote accountability and transparency. Citizens living under a democratic ruling should be guaranteed civil liberties, including, freedom of the press, the right to association, and the right to a fair and just trial (Hague and Harrop, 2013). Most countries around the world claim themselves to be ruling under a democracy, however the degree to which they are democratic varies drastically (Shah, 2012). Many countries, which claim to be democratic, are suffering from poor representations, election anomalies and corruption. A famous quote taken from Sir Winston Churchill, a former Prime Minister of theShow MoreRelatedDemocracy Is Defined As A System Of Governance897 Words   |  4 PagesDemocracy can be defined as a system of governance where there is a political system in which governments are chosen through free and fair elections, there is an active participation in political process by the citizenry, laws and procedures apply equally to all citizenry. 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