A liberal representative democracy should be understood as a form of democracy where we have people who are elected to represent others. In this case, representatives hold some power that is always regulated and defined by the constitution. In fact, the constitution in question prioritizes the protection of different liberties.
The rights of minorities on an individualistic aspect are also taken care of and protected as far as liberal representative democracy is concerned. There are a lot of rights that are guaranteed under this form of democracy and this is commendable.
For instance, freedom of speech and assembly are important rights that minorities and the whole society at large are supposed to be assured of (Scheb 56). This is well taken care of under this form of democracy.
Equality before the law is something that has been synonymous with liberal representative democracy. Liberal representative democracy lays more emphasis on the due process when it comes to matters that deal with law.
As far as this form of democracy is concerned, any elections that are held in a given country should be free and fair for all. This means that the ensuing electoral process should be as much competitive as possible.
As a matter of fact, liberal representative democracy may take various forms as it has been practiced in different countries. In this form of democracy, everybody is granted the right to vote irrespective of his gender, race or the property that they own.
This therefore implies that there is a lot of universal suffrage that is embraced. Liberal representative democracy is determined by the country’s constitution. In the long run, this will ultimately define the character of the state in question.
The constitution in this case limits the powers that a given state will exercise over its citizens. This means that proper separation of powers has been well elaborated. As a matter of fact, there are a lot of checks and balances to ensure that the rights of citizens are not trampled upon (Chua 89).
Most liberal representative democracies have always emphasized that the state should follow the rule of law for long term sustainability. This is as far as guaranteeing the existence of a given state is concerned. Therefore, the authority of the government should not be exercised using unknown laws as everything is supposed to be done in accordance to written, known and existing laws as per the constitution (Scheb 18).
In fact, legitimate authority is enforced through known and acceptable procedures. Public disclosure of laws is the driving force behind liberal representative democracies because everything should be done to the knowledge of the public. The constitution has always acted as a guard in maintaining such forms of democracy.
This is a representative democracy and it should emphasize on the liberty of its citizens as time goes by. The constitution should always act in the interest of the majority and this can be well achieved under this form of democracy. This means that the representatives should not act as the peoples proxies in any way.
In this case, the wishes of the majority should be able to carry the day whereby they have the authority to carry out some initiatives that will take care of their interests. This is mostly necessary when people are facing various challenges that need immediate solutions which is acceptable.
Therefore, in conclusion, this model provides an appropriate combination of freedom and equality beyond reasonable doubt. This is because of various reasons and practical aspects that have been seen in different countries as far as liberal representative democracy is concerned.
It can be explained that this form of democracy provides a good combination because representatives are elected by people through free and fair means. Freedom and equality are guaranteed under this form of democracy because they are enshrined in the constitution which is always the supreme law of a given country.
This means that the law cannot be changed at any time by representatives at the expense of the citizens’ rights without them being involved and consulted (Chua 33). The rights of individuals are protected through enacted laws and this therefore enhances equality. In the process, the interests of minority groups in the country are also taken care of.
The majority are respected in liberal representative democracies because citizens are always asked to vote in elections. Individual liberties of citizens are always guaranteed which promotes equality in the country. The civil society is given freedom to operate and this ensures that the rights of everybody are considered.
Freedom and equality are provided for under this form of democracy because citizens can be given a chance to overrule a decision that will not take care of their interest through a referendum. Everybody is equal before the law and that is why it provides an appropriate combination of freedom and equality (Scheb 40).
There are a lot of controlled institutions that guarantee constitutional rights that cultivate freedom and equality in any given country. All citizens in a liberal representative democracy are protected and this extends to property which enhances freedom and equality. This is because there will be equal opportunities for everybody in the whole country without fear of his/her property being confiscated.
Works Cited
Chua, Amy. World on Fire. New York: Doubleday, 2002. Print.
Scheb, John. An Introduction to the American Legal System. New York: Thomson Delmar Learning, 2006. Print.