elections and democracy
Elections have widely been accepted as major tool for expressing the will of the people about the political government in a democratic state. It can be said that elections are a form of direct democracy as well as a democratic highway to a representative government .The concept of democracy, electoral systems and political parties is cardinal to the modern state but at the same time difficult to define. This assignment will attempt to explain these concepts and amplify the significance of electoral systems as a key pre requisite for democracy.
Elections and Democracy
Commenting on the concept of democracy, Makinda held that democracy can be seen as:
“… a way of government firmly rooted in the belief that people in a society should be free to determine their own political, social, economic and cultural systems.”1
From the aforegoing, it can be said that the concept of democracy is used to describe a political system designed to widen the participation of ordinary citizens in government, the powers of which are clearly defined and limited. The building pillars of any democratic political systems remain without any doubt, elections which are seen as the most critical and visible means through which all citizens can peacefully choose or remove their leaders,2 In other words, elections are the principal instruments that compel or encourage policy makers to pay attention to the electorate (citizens)3
It follows that in a democratic dispensation elections require the existence of a system that allows citizens to make a political decision by voting for competing candidates fielded by various political parties holding divergent views and providing different alternatives .In this case, political opposition is held to be legal, legitimate and somewhat necessary because there will be no real test of the competence of the ruling party without the opposition in elections. It is generally agreed among political scientists that one of the key elements of a healthy
Elections and Democracy
Commenting on the concept of democracy, Makinda held that democracy can be seen as:
“… a way of government firmly rooted in the belief that people in a society should be free to determine their own political, social, economic and cultural systems.”1
From the aforegoing, it can be said that the concept of democracy is used to describe a political system designed to widen the participation of ordinary citizens in government, the powers of which are clearly defined and limited. The building pillars of any democratic political systems remain without any doubt, elections which are seen as the most critical and visible means through which all citizens can peacefully choose or remove their leaders,2 In other words, elections are the principal instruments that compel or encourage policy makers to pay attention to the electorate (citizens)3
It follows that in a democratic dispensation elections require the existence of a system that allows citizens to make a political decision by voting for competing candidates fielded by various political parties holding divergent views and providing different alternatives .In this case, political opposition is held to be legal, legitimate and somewhat necessary because there will be no real test of the competence of the ruling party without the opposition in elections. It is generally agreed among political scientists that one of the key elements of a healthy
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