9781422277683

Another requirement for democracy is the rule of law. Basically, what this means is that no one is above the law. This includes top leaders, who must obey the law just like everyone else. Liberal Democracy Free, fair, and open elections. The right of all, or nearly all, adult citizens to vote. The rule of law. If these conditions are met, a country may be said to have an electoral democracy. But when people today think of democracy, they usually have a broader concept in mind: liberal democracy. Liberal democracy involves not simply the process by which citizens select their government. It also involves how the government functions, and even what the purpose of government is. At the heart of liberal democracy is the idea that all people have certain fundamental rights. These include the right to express one’s ideas and opinions freely; the right to follow the religion of one’s choosing, or not to follow any religion at all; and the right to due process, or fair legal proceedings, when accused of a crime. Liberal democracies consider such rights innate. They aren’t conferred on citizens by their government. Rather, everyone has these rights simply by virtue of being human. Nor can a government legitimately take away funda- mental human rights. In fact, a crucial premise of liberal democracy is that governments are established for the express purpose of protecting these rights. While all governments compel citizens to follow certain rules—society couldn’t function otherwise—liberal democra- cies put a high value on liberty. Within the bounds of the law,

A People’s Government

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