The notion of democracy, far from being uniform and universally accepted, covers a variety of models. In broad terms, democracy can be seen as falling into two basic categories: direct and representative. In a direct democracy, all citizens participate directly in public decisions; in a representative democracy, citizens elect officials to make political decisions, formulate laws, and administer programmes for the public good. Obviously, models of direct democracy are only practical with relatively small numbers of people and, in modern societies, most democracies are representative, though the way in which officials are elected can vary enormously.

As noted by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA), different definitions and theories of democracy emphasise different aspects. IDEA’s understanding of democracy is “that of a system of political governance whose decision-making power is subject to the controlling influence of citizens who are considered political equals. A democratic political system is inclusive, participatory, representative, accountable, transparent and responsive to citizens’ aspirations and expectations” [1]. Moreover, democracy is a process, "not an all-or-nothing affair. It is a question of the degree to which citizens exercise control over political decision-making and are treated as equals”.

Over the years, IDEA has developed a methodology for assessing democracy. The assessment framework is based on the belief that democracy should be defined by its basic principles or values. These include “popular control over public decision-making and decision-makers, and equality between citizens in the exercise of that control” [2]. The belief behind assessment exercises is that governing arrangements and procedures can be considered democratic if these principles are respected and implemented. These principles are further defined as covering notions of: “participation, authorisation, representativeness, accountability, transparency, responsiveness and solidarity” [3].

Although the word “democracy” does not appear in the United Nations Charter, and the right to democracy is not explicitly codified in human rights law, the latter includes many references to fundamental principles of democracy. For instance, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights indicates and refers to one of the central principles of democracy in its Article 21, para. 3: “The will of the peoples shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures.” In addition, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights refers to a series of rights that are directly linked to the concept of democracy, including the right to take part in government and the right to equal access to public services [4]. The 1993 World Conference on Human Rights, held in Vienna, concluded that democracy, development and respect for human rights are interdependent and mutually reinforcing [5]. In recent years, several United Nations documents, such as the United Nations Millennium Declaration, adopted in 2000, have further stressed the interdependence of democracy and human rights.

1. For further information, please consult IDEA’s website at http://www.idea.int/democracy/index.cfm

2. See IDEA, Democracy Assessment: The basics of the international IDEA assessment framework.

3. Ibid.

4. See See Symonides, J., and Volodin, V. (eds), A Guide to Human Rights: Institutions, Standards and Procedures, UNESCO, Paris, 2001, p. 368.

5. See http://www.unhchr.ch/democracy/ and The Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, 1993.