What is Democracy?

The word democracy comes from the Greek words ‘demos’, meaning people, and ‘Kratos’ meaning power or rule. Directly translated, democracy therefore means ‘rule by the people’. The most important aspects of democracy are:

• All members of a community are politically equal (i.e. all citizens have one vote that has equal worth).

• The people have control over decision makers (e.g. through voting for representatives)

(Source: Public Participation for Democracy Training Manual Book)