Representative democracy

In the reign form of representative democracy (also indirect democracy or indirect democracy called ) are not taken political decisions on the merits as opposed to direct democracy directly by the people themselves, but by MEP. The people's representatives are elected and make their own decisions. Since the representation of the people is usually a parliament, called the system often also parliamentary democracy. Must be distinguished from the parliamentary system of government.

• 3.1 Advantages of representative democracy
• 3.2 Disadvantages of representative democracy

Representation

The popularly elected representatives of the people - and only they - represent the people. Representative democracy is the alternative to direct democracy in which the people directly state where the major political decisions in polls. However, parliamentary democracies know individual cases of decisions of the electorate in a referendum. The representatives of the people derive their legitimacy from the election by the electorate, the voting citizens that pose as a sovereign state power.

Now is "the people" but no single instance with a free and rectified or even homogeneous will, but a large number of equal individuals, each of which has its own will. Task of democratic systems, therefore, is to organize themselves so that doing the individual interests are balanced and the target of the decisions following a putative collective will.

Since in practice the state people but can not decide on every detail of the political daily business, all existing democracies have such organized that - mostly etc. staggered on several levels, such as local, country, state - individual decisions are delegated to elected representatives. The people are then in elections by personnel decisions, the " broad outlines " before, in which the elected representatives ideally based because this determines their re-election. These representatives should act as representatives of the electorate, of which they were elected and their interests and goals they are to prevail in the relevant bodies in the interests of their voters. In this respect, the representative democracy is an expression of division of labor as a result of growing complexity decision on the merits.

The influence that keeps the people as sovereign during the tenure of the elected representatives in this, differs in the forms of democracy. In some systems, such as in Switzerland, the nation retains a veto over the decisions of the representatives of the people, in others there is only a right to petition, others are limited to the right to vote for the people's representatives. There is also the requirement for implementation of radical democratic systems that are provided without representatives of the people or the principle of representation despise ( for example, in participatory democracy).

Parliamentary democracy as a representative democracy

Parliamentary democracy is based on the above principles and derives from the parliamentary system, the principle of political representation describes the idea of ​​domination as a form of institutionalized exercise of power. The most important policy decisions are taken by a product derived from free popular election and therefore democratically legitimate parliament.

The Parliament is also responsible for legislation ( legislative power ). The government can pursue as legislator is only secondary legislative power by Parliament.

A parliamentary democracy is generally applied to public. Parliament debated and decided before the people; be plenum takes always public. The MPs in a parliamentary democracy represent the people and are in the enjoyment of this order free, not bound by orders ( free mandate ). Rather, they are required only to their conscience and can only be taken by non- re-election, not by dismissing accountable for their decisions by voters, how is that possible in a soviet democracy.

Functioning democracy in the party

From the distribution of seats the parties resulting from the electoral vote and the right to vote, resulting the balance of power in Parliament. After the elections, a government is formed.

The decision ability of the people is limited to the selection of the representatives of the people ( the people vote, the top candidates and electoral lists are determined by the parties themselves at party ) and thus the cancellation of a government for the election date. In the plebiscitary democracy - commonly referred to as "direct democracy " - can make their own political decisions directly towards the electorate during a legislative session, in the form of plebiscites. In contrast, the extreme form of direct democracy in which the people of almost all decisions at any time can take immediately and must.

Rating

Advantages of representative democracy

In the representative form of democracy decision-making can be completed faster and cheaper. " Election campaigns " and the cost of a referendum and counting take a lot of time and money to complete. Next lead to the proponents of the system, that the representatives can fully concentrate on their political work and political decision-making process is so professional. For complex issues such as individual issues for tax and social legislation such expertise can be over which the average citizen does not have.

Representative systems are also considered less susceptible to short-term influences of demagogy and populism and the "people's anger ". As an example, the proponents of representative systems lead to happy that shortly after exceptionally gruesome murder cases, the approval of the death penalty in surveys is increasing rapidly.

Disadvantages of representative democracy

Representative democracy concentrates political power in the hands of a potential oligarchy, which increases the likelihood of corruption and lobbying. And the people completely cedes the actual governance of the elections to their elected representatives, it has no more opportunities to influence political decisions of its representatives at the legislative level. There is a risk that voters are advertised with election promises, these promises are not fulfilled and ultimately ruled in favor of individual interests to the interests of the people over.

Critics in the form of parliamentary systems, provided they are based on a system of proportional representation, the party whip to. The government can threaten elections or punish deviant behavior with hopeless list seats. These mechanisms limit the free mandate of the deputies.

Furthermore, the lack of influence of voters complain on property issues and pointed to the danger that the people's representatives would live too much from the views of the people.

Moreover, it is feared that representative systems could be easily influenced by individual interests and interest groups, as it is easier to convince a group of deputies as a broad mass of voters. The political affairs to political donations in recent years in Germany, the Flick affair and CDU funding scandal, are cited as examples. In particular, large, systemically important or financially strong sectors could strongly influence policy than smaller consumers or citizens' initiatives.

Critics argue that the risk of vulnerability of the people against the populism representative democracy can not be completely prevented what could recognize populist election campaigns and corresponding representatives.

Importance in practice

A purely representative democracy, there are very rare. More common are forms in which representative and direct democratic elements are mixed. One of these characteristics is the plebiscitary democracy, it is the most common form of democracy. Another hybrid is the council democracy.

The Federal Republic of Germany, the United States of America and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland are representative democracies.