Summary
Summary PLC3702 - Democracy and other forms of regime Majoritarianism & Consociational democracy
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- University Of South Africa (Unisa)
Essay on Majoritarianism & Consociational democracy
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Majoritarianism and consociational democracyIntroduction:
There are two basic theories on who should make authoritative decisions in a democracy
and how valid decisions are made in a democracy. These are majoritarianism and
consociational democracy.
Majoritarianism:
In a democracy, the people or their representatives have the power to make decisions,
therefore decision making are made by the people. The principle of majoritarianism
maintains that when there is no agreement, the wishes of the majority should prevail –
therefore democratic decision making implies majority decision.
If a relative majority applies, it merely requires a majority vote, irrespective of whether that
majority is a minority relative to all the votes.
In the case of an absolute majority (50% + 1) in which case none of the proposals will go
through as having been decided on.
On occasion a special majority may be required and then it is specified (e.g. that two-thirds
should vote in favour in the proposal), it implies that the will of the minorities may still be
ignored.
If a principle of consensus is applied, it would imply that the voting age would have to be
negotiated between those who voted for each proposal. The need to make a decision in this
regard would probably be a motivation to negotiate a decision.
In an indirect democracy, the opinions of the minority may be ignored. The majority party
may decide to accommodate the wishes of the minority, but it does not have to.
Characteristics:
The concept of majoritarianism may be defined as a theory, principle and a practice
in which priority is given to the will of the majority – it implies when decisions are
made, the will of the majority should prevail
The principle of majoritarianism can be applied to both direct and indirect
democracies
In direct democracies, decisions were taken by making use of the principle of
majoritarianism, it was the decision of the majority that prevailed
In indirect democracies, majoritarianism implies the idea of majority government,
meaning the majority should make decisions that can be enforced on all. Political
parties usually dominate the political scene and the process of representation on
which an indirect democracy is based
A majority government are responsible for governing and decision making, they also
enjoy the support of the majority in the legislature
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