class-9 political science CBSE

1. WHAT IS DEMOCRACY?
WHY DEMOCRACY?

2. What is Democracy?

3. Types of Democracy
Pure or direct democracy
Representative or indirect democracy

4. Simple definition of democracy
• Democracy is a form of government in which
the rulers are elected by the people.

5. Democracy is a form of government in which
the rulers are elected by the people.
The definition raises many questions like:
Who are the rulers?
What kind of election?
Who are the people elected and get elected?
Can elected rulers do whatever they want in
democracy?

6. Let us consider these questions with
the help of some examples from
features of democracy.

7. FEATURES OF DEMOCRACY

8. 1. Major decisions by elected leaders

9. PAKISTAN

10. Gen.Musharraf: In 1999- democratic gov.t
was overthrew by military coup.
• Gen.Musharraf
declaired himself
chief executive and
later president.
• In 2002, he held a
referendum in the
country that granted
him a five year
extension.

11. Legal framework order – august 2002.
According to it.
Civil cabinet is supervised by national security
council dominated by military officer.
Final power rest with military officer and
general Pervez Musharraf.
According to Pakistan media and human right
organizations and democracy activities, the
referendum was based on malpractices and
fraud.

12. 2. Free and fair election

13. China
Political Parties:
Quanguo Renmin Daibiao
Dehui
or
National People’s congress

14. Election in China
Election held after every five years
NPC has power to appoint president
It has 3000 members
Candidate need approved of communist party.
Government formed by communist party.

15. Mexico: Independent in 1930
 Never been under
military or dictatorship
 Election held after six
years.
 Election always won by
PRI (Institutional
revolutionary party)
 It use dirty tricks to win
election and spent large
sum of money in
campaign for its
candidates

16. PRI and dirty tricks
Government officers had to attend party
meetings.
Gov.t school teacher’s force parents to vote
for PRI
Polling booths were shifted from one place to
another.

17. 3. One person ,one vote, one value

18. Saudi Arabia –women do not have right to
vote.
Estonia-Russian minority find it difficult to get
right to vote.
Fiji-vote of indigenous Fiji has more value than
that of an Indian Fiji

19. 4. Rule of law and respect for rights

20. Zimbabwe Independent in 1980
 ZANU-PF : The party led
the freedom struggle.
 Using unfair means in
election
 Robert Mugabe – leader
 Ruling the country since
independence.

21. His government
Changing in constitution to increase the
power of president.
Opposition party were harassed and meeting
disrupted.
People have no right to speak against
government and president.
 Media and newspaper are controlled by the
government.

22. China – 1958 – 1961
Worst recorded famine in world, 3 core people
died.
Economist opinion – absence of democracy