The principles of democracy

Democracy is the most popular form of government today. Every democracy rests on some basic principles:

Equality: everyone has the right to be treated equally, to have equal access to things like education and health, and to be equal before the law.

Freedom: citizens can make their own choices and express their opinions.

Representative participation: everyone can choose their representatives through elections. Those elected become part of the legislature.

Universal adult franchise: every citizen above a certain age has the right to vote.

Fundamental rights: like the right to equality, to freedom of speech and expression, and against exploitation, are given and protected.

Independent judiciary: courts protect citizens' rights and make sure the law is followed by citizens and by the government too. Read that twice: the courts check the government as well!

These principles took time to grow. India gave every adult the vote right from the start of the Republic in 1950. But many older democracies took much longer:

Other democracies began in Germany (1949), Kenya (1964) and Nepal (2008).

So these principles are ideals: not every democracy manages to live up to them. That's exactly why citizens must keep them in mind: the ideal is the measuring stick for making things better.