The countries of the world to one degree or another create or seek to create a democratic society. This is a fairly complex management system. Let's look at what direct democracy is, how it differs from representative democracy, what advantages it gives ordinary people. The main points of modern politicians are somehow connected with the "will of the people." That is, no one denies the importance of the opinion of the population in choosing a country's development strategy and making less important decisions. To legitimize popular views, direct democracy was invented. But not everyone understands what it is in practice. We will try to figure it out.
Definition of terms and concepts
Any society ideally seeks to meet the needs of all its members. Someone has to agree with the majority, but political instruments and institutions are developing in the direction of taking into account the views of each group or layer, not excluding marginal ones. Immediate democracy is a combination of instruments and legal norms that make it possible to organize the will of the people and take them into account in public policy. Its principles are written down in the basic law of the country - the constitution. It should be borne in mind that the forms of democracy today are different. In the scientific literature distinguish representative and direct. Both of them are connected with the main idea - the will of the population, but have different methods for its implementation. Add for those who have forgotten, democracy is a regime where decisions are made collectively, usually by a majority. At the same time, all members of the team are also involved in the implementation of the approved plan. That is, democracy is such a system where there is joint (read “common”) responsibility. Citizens do not just do what the state dictates to them. They are entitled to advise him, to express their own opinion, to participate in governing the country both at the planning stage and in the process of translating ideas and projects.
Definition of Immediate Democracy
Deciding how and where to go to a huge country is not so simple. There are many citizens, everyone has their own opinion on this matter. But direct democracy, that is, the participation of the people in initiating and planning development, concerns not only global, within the framework of one country, but also more specific issues. For example, people do not like the condition of roads in the village. They have the full right to contact the local administration with a proposal at the expense of the community's money to carry out repairs. This is a concrete example of democracy. People themselves see what should be done for their village, city, country. They can initiate projects in person (citizens) or within the framework of a social movement, usually a political party. In practice, the organizing committee conducts a study of opinions to find out what people care about. These issues are included in the party program, which it embodies in reality. That is, direct democracy is the right to participate in the leadership of the country, the organization of public life, the distribution and control of the budget, confirmed by law.
Forms of Democracy
If you imagine that every citizen will be directly involved in solving any important issue, the country will stop developing. Technically, organizing voting, counting and analyzing opinions is rather difficult and expensive. Therefore, in addition to direct, there is representative democracy.This is a system of elected bodies formed by citizens as a result of their will. Groups of people delegate their right to participate in the development of the country to specific individuals or parties. Those, in turn, speak on their behalf, expressing their stated views. That is, citizens conclude an agreement with their representative - the deputy, instructing him to take care of their interests. This is representative democracy. Moreover, it is impossible without a straight line, the same is true in the opposite case. The two forms of democracy are interdependent and cannot exist without each other.
Methods and forms of direct democracy
The activity of the state is a complex matter. We have to solve many important issues. Some of them concern certain groups of the population, others - all citizens. The population participates in power not randomly, but in strictly defined, legislatively fixed ways. Among them are the following:
- imperative;
- advisory.
Forms of direct democracy differ in the level of compulsory power. Imperative do not require further approval and are final. Advisory bodies are designed to ensure that government bodies take into account the opinion of the people in the development of decisions and the organization of their implementation.
Elections
Modern democracy is based on the views of the majority of the population. To organize the representation of citizens, elections are held to local councils and the country's parliament. In some states, this procedure is carried out in relation to judges (in the Russian Federation they are appointed by the president). Elections relate to imperative methods democracy. Their results are final and do not require further confirmation. When people vote for a particular deputy or party, they get a portion of the seats in parliament or council. It is possible to challenge this decision only in court, having serious grounds for this.
Referendum
This democratic method was also initially considered imperative, that is, final. Citizens by voting make a binding decision. Recently, deliberative referenda related to advisory methods have been launched in some countries. This is a form of revealing the majority opinion, used to build consensus in society, sometimes for propaganda. For example, the referendum in the Netherlands on ratification of the agreement with Ukraine on Euro-association was advisory in nature. There are countries where the parliament can be dissolved by direct expression of will, the president is recalled (in the Russian Federation there is no such situation). In certain territories, representative bodies are absent. The conditions for democracy in these regions are created by organizing a general discussion of important issues by the population. They are decided by direct vote.
Public discussion and initiative
Representative bodies don't always make popular decisions. Democracy involves initiative from below. That is, the opportunity to make proposals to Parliament to amend paragraphs or part of the decisions. This method is called popular discussion. Currently, it is not enshrined in the constitutions of states, including in the Russian Federation. People’s initiative is the right of citizens to propose binding decisions to a representative body. Parliament is obliged to discuss and respond to them. Sometimes the initiative leads to the dissolution of the representative organ. Imperative mandate - This is an opportunity to give orders to their deputies. During its implementation, people have the right to entrust certain tasks to elected representatives, to demand a report or to recall them. Direct democracy is believed to be most developed in Sweden, Italy, Liechtenstein and some other countries. In them more often than in others, referenda are held. European states resort to this form of communication with people in difficult situations in order to achieve consensus in society.
Conclusion
The importance of direct democracy for modern countries is difficult to overestimate. On its basis, legislative bodies responsible for the development of society are formed. The most important issues for people are resolved through referenda. Each citizen is given the opportunity to take part in a fateful event, as was the case in Crimea in 2014. This allows you to maintain calm in society, to prevent revolutionary explosions. In addition, direct democracy institutions are aimed at raising the general intellectual level of the population. Without understanding the essence of the ongoing processes, it is impossible for people to participate in decision-making. Consequently, enlightenment work is necessary, based on the interest of the population in the topics of referenda and plebiscites.
