What is direct democracy?

A democratic system in which citizens can directly participate in the democratic process without intermediaries. Democratic process in which elections are conducted through the paper ballot. Direct democracy is the fastest and quickest way of taking decisions at the international level. The democratic process through which local governing institutions are created and governed.

A democratic system in which citizens can directly participate in the democratic process without intermediaries.

We are all familiar with the idea that democracy is a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. Democracies fall into two basic categories, direct and representative. In a direct democracy, all citizens, without the intermediary of elected or appointed officials, can participate in making public decisions. Such a system is clearly only practical with relatively small numbers of people – in a community organisation or tribal council, for example, or the local unit of a trade union, where members can meet in a single room to discuss issues and arrive at decisions by consensus or majority vote.