The International Day of Democracy is celebrated on September 15 across the globe. This day gives an opportunity to revisit the state of democracy in the world. Democracy is primarily a goal that requires complete participation of the international community, national governing bodies, civil society and the individuals as well as their support.
A democracy is a government run by the people where the individuals have the right to voice their opinions as well as the right to elect and vote.
On this day, get to know a few facts about world democracy.
- The word democracy is derived from the Greek word ‘demos’ that means ‘people’.
2. Though the term democracy is not mentioned anywhere in the U.S. constitution, it is the oldest in the modern world.
3. The top 25 richest countries in the world are democracies.
4. The republic of India is the world’s largest democracy with one-sixth of the global population.
5. Bhutan is the youngest democracy in the world since 2008 before which it was a monarchy driven country.
6. There are two primary forms of democracy; direct and representative. In direct democracy, all eligible citizens actively participate in political decision making, while, in the latter, voters remain the sovereign power but the political power is indirectly exercised through the elected representatives.
7. While in America, you need be 18 years or above to vote, countries such as Brazil, Scotland, Switzerland, Argentina, Austria, Ecuador, Nicaragua, and Cuba have 16 as the minimum age to vote. The highest voting age is 21 and this rule is applied in Singapore, Kuwait, and Lebanon.
8. In ancient times, Romans followed a democratic system which is followed in some way or the other in the modern world