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Zimbabwe should make us question whether the form of democracy the West extols is such a good idea
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Race
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| Contributor | Poll Vaulter |
| Last Edited | Poll Vaulter Aug 02, 2018 02:29pm |
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| Category | Commentary |
| News Date | Thursday, August 2, 2018 08:00:00 PM UTC0:0 |
| Description | Above all, though, I wonder whether the form of democracy that we in the West extol as the gold standard and have foisted on so many others for that reason, is really such a good idea for everyone. Elections based on competing political parties may indeed be the best that we can do, and electoral systems can be refined (or manipulated) with the use of different mechanisms: proportional representation, first past the post, electoral colleges and the like.
But the fact remains that elections based on parties – which in many countries reflect ethnic groups or past enemies – are divisive, or contain built-in majorities that then have to be re-adjusted for, if the minority or minorities are ever to gain representation in central organs of power. It is all very well for evangelists for elections to cite Churchill to the effect that democracy is the “worst form of government – except for all the others”. |
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