Explain the ‘Foundation Challenge’ faced by democracies in the world

To know the foundational challenge of democracy we should first understand what exactly democracy is. The term  Democracy originated from the Greek word demos, meaning common people, and Kratos meaning strength. 

Democracy is a form of government where the government is chosen by the people. Thus, in a democracy citizens have the supreme power to exercise the power directly or indirectly through a system of representation by participating in elections. Unlike monarchy, power can’t be inherited. People choose their leader through elections. The person or party who got the maximum vote gets the power.

Features of Democracy 

• In a democracy, each and every adult citizen have the right to vote and each vote carries one value.
• Democracy is a set of governments where rulers are elected by the people.
• Rules are set in democratic government within the boundary of the constitution and citizens’ rights.
• Free and fair elections are contested periodically in democratic government.

 Foundation challenges faced by democracies in the world

Many democratic countries in the world are facing foundational challenges, and these are some list the common ones in the world:

• Corruption and Inefficiency: In a democratic country, many times political leaders or officers are corrupt and dishonest. They ask for bribes from the people, which directly affect the citizen of the country which again create a challenge for democracy in the country. Also during election time, politicians bribed poor people to force them to vote particular party or candidate.
• Growing Economic and Social Inequalities Among People: In a country like India, if we talk about the socioeconomic inequalities then we find there is a massive gap among the people. The distribution of resources is very much unequal. Thus, during an election rich party tends to win rather than a poor who doesn’t have the resources to take part in the election.
• Casteism and Communalism: During elections, many voters give their votes to their cast, communities instead of giving votes to good works. Even political parties kept this Casteism and Communalism in their mind before participating in the elections.
• Role of anti-social elements: During election time the anti-social element actively rises up. They tend to force voters to vote for a particular party or party. Sometimes they captured the election booth so that they can force every voter.
• Education and self-awareness: In countries like India Education and self-awareness play a huge role, many people do not understand the importance of elections, sometimes they did knew the background of the candidate. Even sometimes many people do not go for voting.

Frequently Asked Questions

Question 1: What are the main foundations of democracy?

Answer:

The main foundations of democracy are authority, privacy, responsibility, and justice to name a few.

Question 2: Which principle allows democracy to sustain in India?

Answer:

The principles which allow democracy to sustain in India are freedom, equality, and brotherhood.

Question 3: Give one reason why democracy is a better form of government?

Answer:

One reason democracy is a better form of government is that it is more accountable and improves the process of decision-making.