democracy

Democracy has become an imprecise term but, at its core, it refers to the belief that governments should be responsive to the wishes of the majority of citizens.  This explains why elections and democracy are often thought of as being closely related; elections provide a means of choosing a government acceptable to the majority of voters and, by electing a representative assembly , creating a body which can make governments accountable.  But what we think of as democratic government needs more than just elections; it requires a constitutional structure (see constitution ) and a set of rules which protect minorities and individuals as well as majorities.  See also representative democracy .