A show election or a sham election is an election that is held purely for show, that is, without any significant political purpose. Show elections are a common event in dictatorial regimes that still feel the need to establish some element of public legitimacy. Jump to: navigation, search An election is a decision making process whereby people vote for preferred political candidates or parties to act as representatives in government. ... Jump to: navigation, search Dictator was the title of a magistrate in ancient Rome appointed by the Senate to rule the state in times of emergency. ...
Ballots in a show election may be in the form of a simple "yes or no" question on the ruler's leadership. A pre-determined conclusion is always established by the regime, either through coercion of voters or flat-out vote rigging. Electoral fraud is the deliberate interference with the process of an election. ...
The "results" of a show election are frequently one-sided to the point of absurdity, with leaders claiming mandates of 90 percent or higher; this rarely occurs in a free democratic election. On 16 October, 2002 Saddam Hussein (the incumbent dictator of Iraq and sole candidate) was "re-elected" after polling 100% of the votes with a 100% turnout. There have even been cases in which rulers have claimed a mandate which exceeded the actual population of their nation.
The universal acceptance of elections as a tool for selecting representatives in modern democracies is in sharp contrast with the practice in the democratic archetype, ancient Athens, where elections were considered an oligarchic institution and where most political offices were filled using sortition.
When elections are called, politicians and their supporters attempt to influence policy by competing directly for the votes of constituents in what are called campaigns.
In order for democratic elections to be fair and competitive, opposition parties and candidates must enjoy the rights to freedom of speech, assembly, and movement as necessary to voice their criticisms of the government openly and to bring alternative policies and candidates to the voters.
Showelections are a common event in dictatorial regimes that still feel the need to establish some element of public legitimacy.
Showelections were commonly seen in the Soviet Union, as well as dictatorships such as Iraq, Uganda, North Korea, and Turkmenistan.
The "results" of a showelection are frequently one-sided to the point of absurdity, with leaders claiming mandates of 90 percent or higher; this rarely occurs in a free democratic election.
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