School of Democracy
École de la Démocratie | Schule der Demokratie
    Scuola della Democrazia | Escuela de la Democracia

 

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Objectives and mission

DEFINITIONS OF DEMOCRACY

Le Petit Larousse 2005, 100th edition: (from the Greek dêmos, people, and kratos, power)

"a political regime where the people exerce sovereignty themselves, with no intermediate representative organ (direct democracy), or through intermediary representatives (representative democracy)"

From: Compact Oxford English Dictionary

democracy: noun (pl. democracies) 1 a form of government in which the people have a voice in the exercise of power, typically through elected representatives. 2 a state governed in such a way. 3 control of a group by the majority of its members.
  — ORIGIN Greek demokratia, from demos ‘the people’ + -kratia ‘power, rule’.

Robespierre, 5th February 1794, extract of "Sur les principes de morale politique qui doivent guider la convention nationale dans l’administration intérieure de la république".

"Democracy is a state where the people is sovereign and guided by laws of its own making, and where the people do by themselves everything it is possible to do, and through delegates, everything that is not."
http://expositions.bnf.fr/utopie/cabinets/extra/mots/5revol/1.htm

Interparlementary Union - Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Declaration adopted without a vote by the Interparliamentary Council, in its 161st session (Cairo, 16th September 1997)

"First Part - the principles of Democracy
1. Democracy is a universally recognised ideal as well as a goal, which is based on common values shared by peoples throughout the world community irrespective of cultural, political, social and economic differences. It is thus a basic right of citizenship to be exercised under conditions of freedom, equality, transparency and responsibility, with due respect for the plurality of views, and in the interest of the polity.
"

Click here to find out more: http://www.ipu.org/cnl-e/161-dem.htm

Forum pour la réforme arabe, Alexandria Declaration March 2004, Finale declaration on "Les Réformes dans le monde arabe: Perspectives et Mise en oeuvre", 12th-14th March 2004, Bibliotheca Alexandrina

"(...) Democracy refers to a system where freedom is paramount value that ensures actual sovereignty of the people and government by the people through political pluralism, leading to transfer of power. Democracy is based on respect of all rights for all the people, including freedom of thought and expression, and the right to organize under the umbrella of effective political institutions, ** with an elected legislature, an independent judiciary, a government that is subject to both constitutional and public accountability, and political parties of different intellectual and ideological orientations.
7- This genuine democracy requires guaranteed freedom of expression in all its forms, topmost among which is freedom of the press, and audio-visual and electronic media. It calls for adopting free, regular, centralized and decentralized elections to guarantee transfer of power and the rule of the people. It also requires the highest possible level of decentralization that would allow greater self-expression by local communities, unleashing their creative potentials for culturally contributions to human development in all fields. (...)"

Legal information
Genesis, history &
progress of project
Structure
Honorary Council
Some members
How to help or participate
Media
Definitions of democracy

Links and resources

 
   
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