Democracy, by definition, is a political system or the form of government in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who can elect people to represent them and all citizens are treated equally in the decision-making process. It can also be defined as the political orientation of those who favour government by the people or by their elected representatives. Hence democracy is the government of the people, for the people and by the people. Democracy allows all the eligible citizens to participate equally in the political process, either directly or through elected representatives. It encompasses social, economic and cultural conditions that enable the free and equal practice of political self-determination.

A democratic government contrasts to forms of government wherein the supreme power is held either by one or where power is held by a small number of individuals or a party, as in an oligarchy. Democracy in contrast to dictatorship gives on an opportunity to the common people to select their leaders and to oust them without the need for a revolution. Democracy is considered to be the best form of government these days. Most of the countries in the world have adopted it, and generally represents the power of the common man.

The two basic types of democracy are direct and representative. In a direct democracy, people take an active part in law-making and other government decisions. In the representative democracy, representatives elected by people take part in law-making and decisions taken by the government. The main advantage of the direct democracy is that people have a great involvement in government decisions and a common man actively participates in policy initiatives. Policy decisions are made keeping in mind needs and demands of common people, and they have participated in the approval process also, which makes the decision process fair. But there are also chances of majority influencing the minority community leading to wrong decisions being made in the favour of the majority. The other more common form of democracy is representative.

Characteristics of Democracy

Democracy is the government of the people, for the people and by the people. A democratic government represents the common man of the country. While there can be no proper consensus on how to define democracy, equality and freedom are one of the most important characteristics of democracy since ancient times. In a democracy, all eligible citizens are equal before the law and having equal access to legislative processes. Every citizen enjoys various rights that make him an important and equal part of the legislative process. There is no distinction based on caste, color or creed, in a representative democracy, every vote has equal weight, no unreasonable restrictions can apply to anyone seeking to become a representative, and the freedom of its eligible citizens is secured by various constitutional rights.

For the proper working of a democracy three fundamental principles are required:

• Upward Control
• Political Equality
• Social norms by which individuals and institutions only consider acceptable acts that reflect the first two principles of upward control and political equality.

Democracy can provide changes in the government without violence, mutiny or unparliamentary reforms. In a democracy, power is not transferred ancestrally, instead of in a democracy; power can be transferred from one party to another by means of elections. The jurisdiction of the citizens of a nation determines its ruling authority by the process of voting. The ruling party is bound by an election term on the completion of this term the party has to compete against other parties to regain authority. This system is really effective in preventing monopoly of the ruling authority. The greatest advantage of democracy is that the ruling party makes sure it works for its people in order to remain to be the authority after completing its term unless re-elected by the people.

Direct Democracy

Direct democracy can be defined as a political system where the citizens themselves participate in the decision-making personally, contrary to relying on intermediaries or representatives. The supporters of direct democracy argue that democracy is more than merely a procedural issue. A direct democracy gives the voting population the power to do the following:

• 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, or initiating a lawsuit for breaking a campaign promise.

Of all the three basic measures mentioned, most operate in developed democracies today. This may be part of a gradual shift towards direct democracies. Elements of direct democracy exist on a local level in many countries, though these systems often coexist with representative assemblies. Usually, this includes the equal participation of the people in the proposal, development, and passage of legislation into a law.

Representative Democracy

Another major form of democracy is the Representative democracy that involves the election of government officials by the group of people being represented. This type is quite different from the direct democracy as in a direct democracy the head of state is also democratically elected by the people themselves. The most common mechanisms involve election of the candidate with a majority or a plurality of the votes.

Representatives may be elected or become diplomatic representatives by a particular district (or constituency), or represent the entire electorate through proportional systems, with some using a combination of the two. Some representative democracies also incorporate elements of direct democracy, such as referendums. The most common characteristic of representative democracy is that while the representatives are elected by the people to act in the people's interest, they retain the freedom to exercise their own judgment as of how best to do so.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Democracy

There can never be a perfect governing body for any particular area, constituency or a nation. All democracies and every other structure of government are bound to have few structural flaws, which are associated with the character of democracy and also to the people governing. Diverse populaces have diverse views about the different political procedures. Everyone has their expert advice of their own, but it is not possible to incorporate everyone’s suggestions into the democratic process. The advantages and disadvantages of any political structure have to be measured vigilantly for the provision of proper measures to overcome the limitations.

Advantages of Democracy

• Based on the Principle of Equality: Since the democracy is based on the principle of equality, all members of the State are equal in the eyes of law. Every individual enjoys equal social, political and economic rights and the state cannot discriminate among citizens on the basis of caste, religion, sex, or property. All have equal right to choose their government and plays an important role in the selection process. Though no one wins or looses with a single vote, still every vote counts. Every vote has equal importance in a democracy and hence promotes a feeling of national equality.
• Common Man is the King: The chief merit of the democracy lies in the fact that it safeguards the interests of the common people. The real power to select a government lies in the hands of the common people who exercise their voting power to elect their representatives and who are responsible for their development and safeguard. It is said that social, economic and political interests of the individuals are served better under this system. If people are not satisfied with the performance of the candidate, they possess full power to oust him in the next elections, thinking of this the candidate selected always tries best to serve the people who elected him into the power.
• Peaceful Selection Process: Generally the election procedure supports in a peaceful selection process, but still, some cases of violence are encountered. But there is no mutiny involved in the selection process by voting. Democracy can offer modifications in government without hostility. In a democracy, the authority can be reassigned from one party to another by the mode of elections and do not involve any kind of upheaval that may lead to some kind of protest or mutiny. The power of the general public of a country decides its ruling power, and this is all done in a peaceful manner by the process of voting.
• People become Politically Aware: Another very important advantage in the favour of democracy is that it serves as a training school for citizens making them aware of their rights and about the political scenario of the country. People get the impetus to take part in the affairs of the state. At the time of elections, political parties come up with their manifesto and propose their policy and program for the welfare of their candidates. All means of propaganda-public meetings, posters, radio, television, and speeches by important leaders of the parties- are used to win public favour. It creates political consciousness among the people and they come to know what exactly they should expect from an ideal leader.
• Averting Dictatorship: In a democratic rule, any government is confined to an election tenure after which it has to again contest against other parties to retain the power. This method averts monopoly of the reigning party. The reigning authorities have to ensure it functions effectively for its people as cannot continue being the authority subsequent to carrying out its term unless re-elected by the people. Hence the ruling party is constantly under pressure that if they do not perform well, then they would not be able to regain the power for the next time. Hence, for this reason, they work properly and have to contest again once the term is over.
• Public Opinion Based: The democratic administration is based on the public will; public opinion lends it strength and is not based on fear of authority or any party. The democracy stands on consensus, not on power. Democracy supports the existence of the state for an individual, not individual for the state. It lends development and progress to every individual irrespective of the caste colour and creed and arouses their interest in social activities. Individuals readily take an active part in such a government. And this is because of the eminence, devotion, and conviction in man found in the nature of democracy itself.

Disadvantages of Democracy

• More Emphasis on Quantity than on Quality: The biggest limitation of democracy is that selection is not based upon the quality but on quantity. Majority party holds the reins of government. Inefficient and corrupt persons get themselves elected. They have neither intelligence, nor vision, nor strength of character to steer through the ship of the state to its destinations. There is no emphasis on the quality of the leader selected. There is no mandatory education level that a person should possess to contest elections. There are many cases where even illiterate politicians are ruling the state, who most of the time are involved in scandals and criminal cases.
• Wrong Choice: In a democratic nation citizens who hold the right to elect their representatives and their governing authorities. It has been observed that not all the citizens are fully aware of the political scenario in their country. The common masses may not be aware of the political issues in society. This may result in people making the wrong choices during the election. It is also possible that political parties may lure some people or community heads with some personal favours and buy their votes. Hence this can be a major disadvantage for democracy.
• Focus: In a democracy, the government is subject to change after every election term, so it is possible that the authorities may work with a short-term focus. As they have to face an election after the completion of each term, they may lose focus on working for the people and rather focus on winning elections. Hence most of the times these political parties focus only on their election-related goals and work only when elections approach closer. Rest of the time they won’t care about the grievances of their constituency.
• Lowers the Moral Standard: The only aim of the candidates is restricted to win the elections and often employ under-hand practices, foul means to get elected. A lot of the times improper ways are adopted to win the elections. Muscle power and money power work hand-in-hand to ensure success to him. Thus, morality is the first casualty in the election. It is a big loss for 'when the character is lost, everything is lost' becomes explicit in due course. Most parties indulge in the incidents of violence and bribery to win the elections.
• Misuse of Public Funds and Time: Democracy is a huge waste of public time and resources. It takes a lot of time in the formulation of laws. A lot of money is spent during the elections for the procedure and many people are put into duty at the same time. Ministers are proving white elephants and good for nothing. They are a heavy burden on public exchequer as they waste public money on their tours and recreations. A lot of money is spent on issuing of voter cards and paying remunerations to the people on election duty, and the result sometimes is not favourable and many incidents of violence or fake casting of votes also come up despite heavy security leading to wastage of public funds.