WHAT IS A DEMOCRATIC STATE?

The word democracy comes from two Greek words: demos means people and
kratos means rule. So, democracy means rule by the people.

Not every citizen can participate directly in government decisions. This is why
citizens elect representatives to make decisions for them.

For elections to be democratic they should be:

Inclusive: All citizens of legal eage should have the right to vote. There
should be no exclusion factors, such as gender or economic status.
Participative: All citizens and political parties should have the right to stand
as candidates and present political programs freely if they respect the rules.
Periodic: This prevents people from perpetuating their own power. In Spain,
general elections are hold every four years.
Open and fair: The voting process should be secret, and results should be
counted openly.

After elections, the winning party should respect the losing party (opposition party),
who can criticize the government and propose alternative policies freely.

The separation of powers:

Power is divided among several branches
No single person or group can control the state
It protects people from abuse by the authorities (each branch control each
other)

(CUADRO 1)
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The constitution:
Laws must be respected by everybody, including those who create them.
The Constitution is the highest law of a state. It defines the rights and duties
of the citizens that must be accepted and followed by all citizens.
For a state to be considered democratic, three conditions must be present:

(CUADRO 2)

DICTATORSHIP
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In a dictatorship, absolute power of the state is concentrated in

one person or a group, such as an army, an ethnic group, a
religious leader or a political party

Dictators often use violence to gain power in a revolution or coup

detat.

There is no citizen participation (flawed democracy)

There is no separation of powers

Violation of human rights are common

There are no institutions to defend people against violation of

human rights

MONARCHIES
In monarchies the head of state is a king or queen who can pass power to his or her
heirs.
They can be democratic (e.g. Spain, Great Britain) or dictatorial monarchies (e.g.
Morocco, the Vatican).
REPUBLIC
In a Republic, the head of state is a president. If the republic is a democracy, the
president is elected by the citizens. If the republic is a dictatorship, the president is
elected by the group in power.
ANOTHER WAY TO CLASSIFY STATES is according to the position religion
exerts.
a) Lay state: there is a total separation between the state and
religion.
Laws are not based on any religious doctrine and citizens can
follow any religion or none. Sometimes, lay states have
agreements with some religions to provide them with special
conditions due to their traditional importance in that society.
b) Confessional state: there is an official religion that has large
benefits from the state.
Some of them are democracies (e.g. Great Britain, Denmark,
Greece, Sweden, etc.) and they allow the practice of other

religions. The majority of the confessional states are not

democracies (e.g. Saudi Arabia) and other religions are not
allowed.
c) Theocracies: There is an official religion and the sacred books
become part of the countrys laws. The religious elite become
part of the government and can decide on the countrys politics.
Other religions are forbidden or restricted to privacy. E.g. Iran,
the Vatican, Israel, and Saudi Arabia