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Representative democracy is a form of democracy founded on the exercise of popular sovereignty by the people's representants. It is a theory of civics in which voters choose (in free, secret, multi-party elections) representatives to act in their interests, but not as their proxies—i.e., not necessarily according to their voters' wishes, but with enough authority to exercise initiative in the face of changing circumstances. Another form of representative democracy involves impartial selection of representatives through sortition. The history of democracy traces back from its origins in prehistoric times to its reemergance from the 17th century to the present day. ... Here is a partial list of varieties of democracy. ... Anticipatory democracy is a theory of civics relying on democratic decision making that takes into account predictions of future events that have some credibility with the electorate. ... The speakers platform in the Pnyx, the meeting ground of the assembly where all the great political struggles of Athens were fought during the Golden Age. Here Athenian statesmen stood to speak, such as Pericles and Aristides in the 5th century BC and Demosthenes and Aeschines in the 4th... Consensus democracy is the application of consensus decision making to the process of legislation. ... Deliberative democracy, also sometimes called discursive democracy, is a term used by political theorists, e. ... Direct Access Democracy is a phrase coined to describe a participatory democracy subset. ... Direct democracy comprises a form of democracy and theory of civics wherein sovereignty was lodged in the assembly of all citizens. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Non-partisan democracy (also no-party democracy) is a system of representative government or organization such that universal and periodic elections (by secret ballot) take place without reference to political parties or even the speeches, campaigns, nominations, or other apparatus commonly associated with democracy. ... Participatory democracy is a broadly inclusive term for many kinds of consultative decision making which require consultation on important decisions by those who will carry out the decision. ... The Elections and Parties Series Democracy Liberal democracy History of democracy Representative democracy Representation Voting Voting systems Elections Elections by country Elections by calender Electoral systems Politics Politics by country Political campaigns Political science Political philosophy Related topics Political parties Parties by country Parties by name Parties by ideology Representative... Republican democracy is a republic which has democracy. ... Soviet democracy is a form of democracy in which workers elect representatives in the organs of power called soviets (councils). ... Politics, sometimes defined as the art and science of government[1], is a process by which collective decisions are made within groups. ... A form of government (also referred to as a system of government or a political system) is a system composed of various people, institutions and their relations in regard to the governance of a state. ... A legislature is a governmental deliberative assembly with the power to adopt laws. ... An election is a decision making process whereby people vote for preferred political candidates or parties to act as representatives in government. ... It has been suggested that ballot be merged into this article or section. ... An ideology is an organized collection of ideas. ... Information on politics by country is available for every country, including both de jure and de facto independent states, inhabited dependent territories, as well as areas of special sovereignty. ... A political party is an organization that seeks to attain political power within a government, usually by participating in electoral campaigns. ... Popular sovereignty is the doctrine that the state is created by and subject to the will of the people, who are the source of all political power. ... Civics is the science of comparative government and means of administering public trusts - the theory of governance as applied to state institutions. ... A multi-party system is a type of party system. ... Categories: Move to Wiktionary | Stub ... In politics, authority (Latin auctoritas, used in Roman law as opposed to potestas and imperium) is often used interchangeably with the term power. However, their meanings differ. ... In political science, the initiative (also known as popular or citizens initiative) provides a means by which a petition signed by a certain minimum number of registered voters can force a public vote on a proposed statute, constitutional amendment, charter amendment or ordinance. ... Sortition is the method of random selection, particularly in relation to the selection of decision makers also known as allotment. ...

A representative democracy can involve more powers given to the legislators than under a constitutional monarchy or participatory democracy, so almost all constitutions provide for an independent judiciary and other measures to balance representative power: Constitutional monarchies with representative parliamentary systems are shown in red A constitutional monarchy is a form of monarchical government established under a constitutional system which acknowledges an elected or hereditary monarch as head of state. ... Participatory democracy is a broadly inclusive term for many kinds of consultative decision making which require consultation on important decisions by those who will carry out the decision. ... In law, the judiciary or judicature is the system of courts which administer justice and provide a mechanism for the resolution of disputes. ...

• A representative democracy may provide for recall of elected representatives that voters become dissatisfied with.
• It may also provide for some deliberative democracy (e.g., Canadian Royal Commission) or
• direct democracy (e.g., referendum) measures. However, these are not always binding and usually require some legislative action - legal power usually remains firmly with representatives.
• Sometimes there is an "upper house" that is not directly elected, such as the Canadian Senate, which was in turn modelled on the UK House of Lords.

A recall election is a procedure by which voters can remove an elected official from office. ... Deliberative democracy, also sometimes called discursive democracy, is a term used by political theorists, e. ... Direct democracy comprises a form of democracy and theory of civics wherein sovereignty was lodged in the assembly of all citizens. ... A referendum (plural: referendums or referenda) or plebiscite (from Latin plebiscita, a decree of the Concilium Plebis) is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. ... The Senate (French: Sénat) is a component of the Parliament of Canada, which also includes the Sovereign (represented by the Governor General) and the House of Commons. ... This article is about the British House of Lords. ...

See also

• Republican democracy
• Direct democracy

Republican democracy is a republic which has democracy. ... Direct democracy comprises a form of democracy and theory of civics wherein sovereignty was lodged in the assembly of all citizens. ...

External links

• Electoral Reform Society