Challenges to Democracy.................Part II

Q3."Legal-constitutional changes by themselves cannot overcome challenges to democracy". Explain with example.

1. Democratic reforms are to be carried out mainly by political activists, parties, movements and politically conscious citizens.
2. Any legal change must produce positive effect on politics as sometimes the results may be counter-productive. For example, many states have banned people who have more than two children from contesting panchayat elections. 
3. This has resulted in denial of democratic opportunity to many poor and women, which was not intended. 
4. Generally, laws that seek to ban something are not very successful in politics. 
5. Laws that give political actors incentives to do good things have more chances of working.
6. The best laws are which empower people to carry out democratic reforms for example:
7. The Right to Information Act is  a law that empowers the people to find out what is happening in government and act as watchdogs of democracy.
8. Such a law helps to control corruption and supplements the existing laws that banned corruption and imposed strict penalties.

Q4. Examine the features of democracy.

1. The rulers elected by the people must take all the major decisions; 
2. Elections must offer a choice and fair opportunity to the people to change the current rulers.
3. One person, one vote and one value motto should be adopted.
4. The choice and opportunity should be available to all the people on an equal basis.
5. The exercise of the choice must lead to a government limited by basic rules of the constitution and citizens’ rights.