Question

Describe the importance of democratic government as an accountable and legitimate government.

Answer 1

It allows for the participation of the people in the political process, it is people's own government thus it is legitimate.

• It provides for smooth and legitimate transformation from one government to another by means of electoral competition.

• This way it ensures that no government is elected for life and hence becomes tyrannical.

• It allows for peaceful change in the society, by means of elections.

• Representatives so elected make laws and policies on behalf of the people.

Democracy produces a government that is responsive through the mechanism of elections. Elections make the representatives accountable to people and ensure that they have to explain their decisions. This ensures accountability of the lawmakers towards their constituencies and they have to take into account the interests of all sections of society. People have the right to choose their rulers and people will have control over the rulers. This makes the rulers accountable to the people.