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. (...)"