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As defined by the Cambridge Advanced Learners dictionary democracy is: 1) A system of government based on the belief in freedom and equality between people, in which power is either held by elected representatives or directly by the people themselves. Even this oversimplified definition of democracy proves the majority of today’s “democracies” undemocratic, as they do not enforce basic human rights, which define democracy. To elaborate our common understanding of democracy we would like to present the key ideas which define democracy being: free and fair elections, constantly maintained safe guards concerning the rights of minorities, the rule of law including an independent judiciary, meaning foremost that state officials are accountable, and that police, the military and other security forces abide the law and are punished for abuses. It is vital for all indirect democracies to ensure the possibility for the public to voice their opinion by periodically held free and fair elections. Elections are frequently seen as the key idea to democracy as the people rule directly, or indirectly, threw representatives. However, a large proportion of contemporary governments stating to be democracies do not even fulfil this basic criterion. v In Yemen, Ali Abdullan was elected by an election however his ONLY opponent was a member of his own party. This is not democratic! v In America the Electoral College system is still in use although it is outdated.
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