The Bluebook Review: Elections

Election as a hallmark of democracy

Election aggregates the preferences of the voting public. It is a direct manifestation of the practice of sovereign will. This encompasses the following:

1. leadership selection
2. performance review
3. renewal of consent
4. index for political purposes
5. access channel

Through election, people choose leaders who they think can best represent their ideals, aspirations and interests -- a tenet of democracy as supreme power comes from the people and government authorities emanate from them. Election exhibits the political will of the public.

People gives authority to aspiring leaders to act in the name of the people.
(A COMPLETE REVERSE!)

"Demokratiko ba ang Pilipinas? I believe that we don't have a democracy, I believe that we have democratic forms (like election) but we don't have democratic processes for a simple reason that we don't have a material base for it."

- Sis. Mary John Mananzan
in my interview on
human right's activism

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Political Science 14: Philippine Government and Politics
Prof. Carl Marc Ramota (Dept. of Social Sciences, UP Manila)