Key Features of Democracy - What is Democracy? Why Democracy?, Class 9 SST Civics Video Lecture

what are the key features of democracy
democracy is the most successful
political idea in the world democracy
allows ordinary people a decisive say
and who governs a country and how they
govern it it is based on a system of
government by all citizens of a country
typically exercised through elected
representatives the concept of democracy
is broad and diverse every country has a
unique democratic system and countries
will therefore be differently democratic
democracy has many features what then
are the key features of democracy
although there are other aspects to
democracy we will look at six key
features they are one respect for basic
human rights to a multi-party political
system paired with political tolerance 3
a democratic voting system for respect
for the rule of law 5 democratic
governance and 6 citizen participation
let's look at each of the key features
mentioned above firstly one of the most
important features of democracy is the
respect for some basic human rights most
democracies have a constitution that
outlines the human rights of each
individual they usually include basic
rights that secure democracy including
the right to vote freedom of speech and
assembly freedom of religion and the
right to equality the second key feature
is a multi-party political system paired
with the tolerance for different
political views a multi-party system or
at least a two-party system is an
important component of any democracy the
presence of multiple strong political
parties contesting elections ensures a
choice for voters and the representation
of diverse and competing views and
interests in parliament in a democracy
active opposition parties monitor and
debate the work done by the ruling party
or ruling parties in the case of a party
coalition this can increase the ruling
parties accountability to the electorate
multi-party systems require political
tolerance inward and actions by all
individuals including political
representatives
political tolerance means accepting and
respecting the views of individuals and
groups whose viewpoints differ from
one's own people should be able to
express their opinions and views freely
as long as they do not interfere with
someone else's rights democracy entails
both the right to differ as well as the
acceptance of these differences by
others democracy implies respect for
different views and the use of dialogue
as a means to resolve conflict
the third key feature is a democratic
voting system in a representative
democracy we elect representatives to
pass legislation and govern the country
instead of having one person making all
the decisions this happens through
regular elections in line with the
country's constitution democratic voting
systems are characterized by the
following one there is universal
suffrage which means that all the adult
citizens have an equal right to vote in
a country's elections two elections are
held at regular known intervals three
elections are free and fair four and
finally we apply majority rule which
means that the political party or party
coalition with the most votes gets to
govern key feature number four is
respect for the rule of law the rule of
law refers to the principle that public
officials can only exercise power and
make decisions if authorized to do so by
law they are not allowed to act
arbitrarily or with an ulterior purpose
they must act in terms of laws that are
clear publicized stable and are evenly
applied the process by which laws are
enacted administered and enforced must
be transparent fair and efficient it
also means that all decisions need to be
made in accordance with the law in short
nobody is exempt from or above the law
public officials cannot act arbitrarily
and without being allowed to act by law
why because under the system citizens
are protected from the arbitrary
exercise of power
independent courts upholds the rule of
law only independent courts can find
people guilty of committing a crime
courts can also declare and valid the
actions of public officials that are not
authorized by law a society in which the
rule of law is not protected would be
unpredictable and the human rights of
its citizens would not be guaranteed the
correct application of the rule of law
enables citizens to enjoy the benefits
of democracy the fifth key feature of
democracy is democratic governance this
concerns the way in which a democratic
government is organized and functions
what happens between elections is very
important for a vibrant democracy
democratic government is characterized
by the separation of powers state power
is divided into three branches the
executive the legislature and the
judiciary each branch checks the power
of the other two so that there is a
balance of power between them the
legislature is responsible for passing
laws while the executive is responsible
for the administration and
implementation of the law and other
policies together with this goes the
independence of the judiciary in the
interpretation and enforcement of law
this system of checks and balances is
designed to prevent the abuse of power
democratic governance should also be
guided by the principles and practices
of transparency responsiveness
effectiveness and efficiency as
prerequisites for accountability to the
electorate
the last feature of a successful
democracy that we would like to talk
about is citizen participation the
democratic system aims to empower the
individual democracy offers ordinary
people like you and me the opportunity
to participate freely in social and
political life and to contribute to
shaping our society and country's future
successful democracies need active
citizens so it is about our role in and
possible contribution to democracy in
practical terms it means that you can
and should take part in elections by
voting or even joining a political party
active citizens also monitor the
government's performance and mobilize
other ordinary people on issues of
importance all of us can help to shape a
successful democracy when these six main
features are present it indicates a
strong democracy through the application
and upholding of these features well
functioning democracies are likely to
provide the following fruits of
democracy or characteristics of society
respect for human dignity freedom
equality justice good governance peace
and the opportunity to hold elected
representatives accountable South Africa
is one of the youngest democracies in
the world our Constitution provides the
framework for how democracy works in
South Africa and don't forget democracy
is about far more than voting in
elections successful democracies rely on
active citizens that protect and support
democratic values that also means you