Democracy is the best form of political leadership ever tested because of its ability to promote the freedoms of the population of a country. It is defined as a government by the people, where the supreme authority is vested in the electorate who can exercise it directly through elections, and indirectly through the representatives elected. Democracy promotes freedom through the four factors namely: a) the rule of law, which applies to everyone equally regardless of economic and political status, b) a periodical system of replacing governments through popular elections (rule of majority), c) guaranteed protection of human rights of all people, d) Active participation of citizens in politics and civic life.
Freedom is the most important aspect of a democratic leadership because people are freer that authoritarian states. They have the right to choose a leader, and by extension, indirectly decide the policies and the direction that a country should take. Most importantly, people have the liberty to express their opinions and even to criticize their government (Schmitter & Karl, 1991). A democracy respects the right of the citizens that include basic and civic rights. The right to health care and picketing are some of the liberties enjoyed by all democratic leaderships. Because the supreme power is vested in the people, they are in a much better position to protect their rights.
Through elections, the government becomes a direct representation of the people. If a government pursues a policy or an interest that contradicts the wishes of the citizens, they can be voted out in the elections. Conversely, there are other independent checks and balances such as the judiciary, which provides an avenue for the population to challenge the actions of the executive (Wheatley, 2003). As such, there is more transparency in a democracy than in autocratic states. Unfortunately, rule by the majority is a disadvantage to the minorities because it denies them an opportunity to influence political policies.
References
Schmitter, P. C., & Karl, T. L. (1991). What Democracy is and is Not. Journal of Democracy, 19-27.
Wheatley, S. (2003). Deliberative Democracy and Minorities. European Journal of International Law, 507-527.
