Recently, a democratic regime is considered the most acceptable way to govern the country. Talking about what he is, and discussing its advantages and disadvantages, is not worth it. The main thing is to determine that there are two forms: representative and direct democracy. This article is devoted to the latter.
The concept and forms of direct democracy
As you know, in most countries of today's world, according to the basic law, power belongs to the population of the state. This statement stems not only from the provisions laid down in the legislation, but also from the very essence of democracy (in Greek, “the power of the people”). But at the same time, a situation in which power belongs to everyone and, therefore, is exercised by all, cannot contribute to effective development. Therefore, democracy itself was divided into two types - direct and representative. Representative involves the transfer of part of the authority to operate public affairs to a specific person or group.
Direct democracy (it is direct), in turn, is the most vivid expression of the essence of the power of the population. In fact, under such a political regime, any citizen of the country has the right to speak out and make decisions on the specific problem of the functioning of the state. This group may include: decisions on the country's development path, the formation of institutions of representative democracy, as well as other issues recognized as significant. And on the basis of these rights, forms of direct democracy can be deduced.
The first and main form is the institution of elections , or the formation of organs of representative democracy. As a rule, they are carried out once in a strictly allotted period of time. But there are many reservations that provide for changes at both the national and local levels.
The second form may be a referendum , which discusses the possibility of a radical change in one of the nationwide aspects. The referendum can be held both at the level of the whole country, and in its separate part. Most theorists of political science and jurisprudence also refer to this institution as a plebiscite, a survey and discussion.
The third form is the people's legislative initiative . In this case, a document containing the theses on the regulation of a certain important relationship in society is sent to the bodies of representative democracy.
The fourth, and main last, is the right to assembly . Thus, the country's population can express their dissatisfaction with the way decisions are made on the basis of representative democracy.
Immediate democracy: importance for the development of the state
It would seem that if there is such a form as representative democracy, why is direct necessary? In fact, the significance of the latter is great. This statement is based on the fact that direct democracy actually forms all the power in the country. On its basis, state institutions can function, create legislative acts, and carry out law enforcement functions.
However, there are risks. The institutions of direct democracy, when used directly, can lead to the violation of the main principle of this political regime, namely: taking into account the views of the minority. Whatever form direct democracy takes, the result of its application is always the position of the majority. In such a situation, the state must have in place mechanisms to deter and protect the dissenting part of society. Otherwise, the institutions of direct democracy can develop into authoritarian regimes. Therefore, the existence of only the above species is not enough.
Another risk that may arise is a lack of understanding and ignorance of the country's governance processes. The general educational and intellectual level of the entire population does not allow the effective implementation and implementation of certain policies. Therefore, when implementing any form of direct democracy, the people of the country set only the general direction, and the bodies elected by them develop the necessary tactics.
In conclusion, we note that direct democracy is inherently both a factor in the formation of a representative and a deterrent to the latter. Therefore, it is not possible to talk about the separate existence of these forms of democracy.