Good idea to monitor it. Third world countries have a tendency to cheat in the big ones.
New Zealand claims to be the world's oldest democracy, as they gave women the vote in 1893.
Source
When looking at how the USA defines democraca officially ...
Quote:THE PILLARS OF DEMOCRACY
Sovereignty of the people.
Government based upon consent of the governed.
Majority rule.
Minority rights.
Guarantee of basic human rights.
Free and fair elections.
Equality before the law.
Due process of law.
Constitutional limits on government.
Social, economic, and political pluralism.
Values of tolerance, pragmatism, cooperation, and compromise.
source:
USINFO. State.Gov
... why do they exclude their own country :wink:
Ancient Greece is an appalling bad example of democracy. In Athens in the "classical" age, for example, as much as 40% of the population were bondmen or slaves in Attica, with most of these actually in the city, and probably representing 60% of the city's population. Women were not enfranchinsed, residents of Attica outside the city were not enfranchised, and any Greeks from outside Attica were not franchised. No more than 10% of the population of Attica was franchised, and probably a good deal less.
Initially in America, the Massachusetts Bay Company had a religious test for the franchise, and the Virginia colony had property requirements. The most radical constitution in America was adopted by Pennsylvania in 1776--and it had a "universal" franchise. That, however, meant adult, white males. New Jersey briefly enfranchised women who met a property test. Theoretically, women could stand for public office in the United States as of 1788--although in practice it did not happen.
In England, before the Reform Bill of 1832, fewer than 3 percent of adult white males chose the members of the House of Commons. The reform enacted in 1832 was very limited, and it took several more reform bills to widen the franchise, still only to men.
Today, the Swiss Republic is probably the national government closest to a true democracy. Questions of national policy are subject to a routine plebicite. The United States has never had a pure democracy--only the desire to co-opt the political power of rebellious Revolutionary War veterans such as Daniel Shays lead the states to institute universal manhood suffrage, which still only included white males. When the First Congress proposed amendments to the constitution, the first one proposed was never adopted--it would have required one representative for each 50,000 members of the population. The two parties have a death grip on electoral politics, and of the advantages which flow from membership in the Congress and the opportunity to be a part of an executive administration. There is little likelihood that the current system in the United States will do anything to foster true representative democracy, and almost no possibility of congressional or electoral reform.
McGentrix wrote:Which Democracy is best then?
Dunno
McGentrix wrote:Which is the Oldest?
The oldest surviving democracy I know is Switzerland, whose democracy was established in
a document dating back to 1291.
McGentrix wrote:Which is the biggest?
India -- over a billion inhabitants.
See? Ask some questions, you get answers!
Well, some don't forget the basics they learnt in school :wink:
