Democratic Principles

1. Democratic Principles,
Practices and Norms
Politics 101
The National Democratic Institute

2. INTRODUCTIONS/
GROUND RULES
• Introductions
• Ground Rules
• Ice Breaker Exercise

3. OBJECTIVES
• To understand the principles of
democracy
• To differentiate between democracy
and politics
• To understand women’s rights in
democracy and politics

4. DEMOCRATIC PRINCIPLES
TOPICS
• What is democracy?
• Democratic principles
• What is politics?
• Women’s rights in democracy and
politics
• Why women?

5. KEY TERMS
• Democracy
• Politics
• Women’s rights
Photo: National Democratic Institute

6. DEMOCRACY
• What is the definition?
• “Government of the people, by the
people, and for the people”?
• How are decisions made?

7. DEMOCRACY DEFINED
• Demos and Kratos
• Rule by the people
Photo: National Democratic Institute, Mozambique

8. DEMOCRATIC PRINCIPLES
 Human rights
 Separation of powers
 Right to vote
 Good governance
Photo: National Democratic Institute, Tunisia

9. INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS
• Universal Declaration of Human Rights
(UDHR)
• International Covenants on:
 Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)
 Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
(ICESCR)
• Convention on the Elimination of all
forms of Discrimination against Women
(CEDAW)

10. DEMOCRATIC FREEDOMS
 Personal freedoms
 Legal and judicial
protections
 Political freedom
 Economic freedom
Photo: National Democratic Institute

11. POLITICS DEFINED
• Politikos – of, for, or relating to
citizens
“Politics is about who gets what, when,
and how.” – Harold Lasswell

12. POLITICS VS. DEMOCRACY
Politics
• Political
struggle
• Competition
• Compromise
Democracy
• Popular
sovereignty
• Rule of law
• Human rights

13. WOMEN’S RIGHTS
• Women’s rights as human rights
• International human rights and gender
equality standards
Photo: NDI

14. MINIMUM CONDITIONS FOR
POLITICAL PARTICIPATION
• Access to positions of power
• Transparency
• Changing cultural norms
• Women’s economic empowerment
• Political will

15. MINIMUM CONDITIONS
• Voice
–Empowerment
–Critical mass
• Access
–Representative resources
–Material and economic resources
–Democratic/cultural space
–Information: gender-disaggregated
• Capacity

16. WHY WOMEN?
“The political participation of women results in
tangible gains for democracy, including greater
responsiveness to citizen needs, increased
cooperation across party and ethnic lines, and
more sustainable peace.”
“Success without democracy is improbable;
democracy without women is impossible.”
~ Madeleine Albright

17. WOMEN’S POLITICAL
PARTICIPATION: BENEFITS
• Higher standards of living
• Concerns of marginalized voters
represented
• Collaborative leadership styles
• Work across party lines
• Peace building
• Better decisions

18. DEMOCRATIC PRINCIPLES
REVIEW
• Democracy
• Politics
• Women’s Rights
• Why women?
 Questions?
 Feedback?