ترجمه سیاسی- متن سوم

Democracy

Inthe dictionary definition, democracy “is govement by the people in which thesupreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or bytheir elected agents under a free electoral system.”

Inthe words of Abraham Lincoln, democracy is a govement “of the people, by thepeople, and for the people.” There is no clear – cut, universal definition ofdemocracy. Most definitions of democracy focus on qualities, procedures, andinstitutions. There are many types of democracy and their varied practicesproduce similarly varied effects. Democracy comes from the Greekwords demos meaning ‘people’ and kratos meaning‘authority’ or ‘power.’

“…govement which is conductedwith the freely given consent of people.”

“…a system of govement in whichsupreme authority lies with the people.”

“Rule by the people in a countrydirectly or by representation.”

“The form of govement in whichpolitical control exercised by all the people, either directly or through theirelected representative.”

The word ‘democracy’ itself means ‘rule by thepeople. “A democracy is a system where people can change their rulers in a peacefulmanner and the govement is given the right to rule because the people say itmay.

Prerequisites of Democracy

With an upsurge in the number ofdemocracies holding free and fair elections and declaring themselves democraticstates, some theorists have developed a set of minimum requirements. Electionson their own do not make a country democratic. The following list of minimumrequirements has been extracted by a study of democracies and by readingvarious theories of democracy. It provides both a good overview of whatdemocracy means and a standard against which to test whether or not a countryis democratic.

1. Control over govementdecisions about policy constitutionally vested in elected representatives.

2. Elected representatives chosenin frequent and fair elections.

3. Elected representativesexercise their constitutional powers.

4. All adults have the right tovote in elections.

5. All adults have the right torun for public office.

6. Citizens have the right toexpress themselves on political matters, defined broadly, without the risk ofstate punishment.

7. Citizens have the right toseek out alteative sources of information, such as the news media, and suchsources are protected by law.

8. Citizens have the right toform independent associations and organizations, including independentpolitical parties and interest groups.

9. Govement is autonomous andable to act independently from outside constraints (such as those imposed byalliances and blocs).

If any of those conditions is notpresent, political scientists argue that the country is not truly a democracy.

DemocraticSociety

Democracy is more than a set ofconstitutional rules and procedures that determine how a govement functions.In a democracy, govement is only one element coexisting in a social fabric ofmany and varied institutions, political parties, organizations, andassociations. This diversity is called pluralism, and it assumes that the many organizedgroups and institutions in a democratic society do not depend upon govement fortheir existence, legitimacy, or authority.