Values and Principles

1. Constitutional Sovereignty – Citizens are the ultimate authority, governed by a
   constitution.
2. Multi-level Governance – Decision-making power at every level, from local to
   international.
3. Free & Fair Process – Elections & decisions conducted without fear, favour, or
   manipulation.
4. Universal Participation – Every citizen has an equal voice in matters that affect their
   lives.
5. Equality & Inclusion – All people are equal, regardless of race, gender, age or belief.
6. Rights, Law & Justice – Human rights and equal access to justice are non-negotiable.
7. Personal Freedom & Potential – Individual liberty and opportunity for every citizen to
   thrive.
8. Majority Rule, Minority Rights – Majority governs, while protecting minority views &
   welfare.
9. Truth, Accountability & Transparency The duty to communicate honestly and in balance.
10. Environmental Stewardship Bearing responsibility for the health of nature and the
    planet.
11. Self-Correction & Resilience – Mechanisms to correct mistakes & protect from
    subversion. Civic Duty – Democracy

1. Participation of citizens
2. Equality
3. Accountability
4. Transparency
5. Political tolerance
6. Multi-party system
7. Control over the abuse of powe
8. Freedom of economy
9. Bill of rights
10. Human rights
11. Free and fair elections
12. Free courts
13. Accepting election results
14. Rule of law

What are the 14 principles of democracy?

1. Participation of citizens
   By its very definition, democracy allows the people a voice in charting the course of their government and their future. In direct democracies, this can mean citizens vote directly on the laws they live under. In representative democracy, it means they get to choose who represents them and have a free voice to express their opinions and desires. In either case, citizen participation is the foundation that makes
   democracy strong.
2. Equality
   It is not only important but necessary that all people are treated equally in a democracy. This means that they are not discriminated against because of their ethnicity, religion, gender or sexual orientation. It also means that people have equal access to the free enjoyment of their rights – for example, equal access to the voting booth. And when it does come time to vote, it means that every vote counts the same – your vote is just as valuable and counts just as much as the wealthiest or most powerful person in your country. That’s the most fundamental element of equality in a democracy.
3. Accountability
   People entrust powers to those they elect, and they are tasked to use those powers to enrich their communities. Politicians are accountable to the people, must act consistent with their will, and have a duty not abuse their power to enrich themselves and their friends. When authoritarian governments take control of the newspapers and news channels, when they hamstring and harass civil society groups, it becomes all too easy to keep corruption and abuses of power out of the public eye, and this makes it harder for the people to hold the government accountable on election day.
4. Transparency
   In order to make informed choices at the ballot box, voters have to know the score. They have to know if their government is making good decisions or its policies aren’t working, if it’s following the rules or plundering public money. Transparency means government actions are clear to the people, as are the results and outcomes. Information of the government should, with few exceptions, be available to the public upon request, journalists and people alike should be able to ask their politicians questions, and groups that work on transparency should be free to operate.
5. Political tolerance
   Although majority rule is at the heart of democracy, this does not mean that the minority is forgotten. In a true democracy, the rights of all citizens are equal and must be respected regardless of who’s in power. And even though their views may not have carried election day, they still have the right to continue to share those views to other citizens and the government. And this is healthy, if not necessary. Democracy thrives on openness and richness of thought; by suppressing the rights and freedoms of the minority, the majority holds itself back.
6. Multi-party system
   Citizens must have a choice on election day. That means that more than a single political party is able to freely participate in an election campaign and be an option for the people. And when opposition parties do win, there is a transfer of power and renewed public debate on how to steer the country forward. If there’s just a single party then it’s most probably a dictatorship, although some countries have managed to develop democratic systems under the rule of a single party.
7. Control over the abuse of power
   Democracy can only survive if everyone buys in – the citizens through their support on voting day and all other times of year, and politicians by playing by the rules and working to improve the lives of everyone. Abuse of power occurs when a government decides it is above the law, when politicians believe a different set of rules apply to them, when the levers of the state are moved to favor only a certain segment of society at the expense of others, or when public money is funneled into accounts of corrupt leaders and their friends. We see this often in the world’s “democracies” and increasingly so in Europe too.
8. Freedom of economy
   In a democracy, a person should be able to decide what they want to do with their life. As long as they follow the rules, it’s not the government’s place to tell them what they must study or what job they must take or what they must grow. Economic freedom is important in order to develop strong communities and strong national economies.
9. Bill of rights
   Another way to protect the people from abuse of power by the government is through a bill of rights. This is a list of the rights and freedoms people have, such as freedom of speech and freedom of assembly. As a bill, the document is a part of law, and many countries have enshrined it into their constitution. So when someone thinks their government is violating their rights, they can turn to the courts for help.
10. Human rights
    Many of the rights protected by a bill of rights are what are called human rights. These are rights people are supposed to have regardless of the country they live in, but democracy in particular is supposed to protect and promote these rights. Human rights like freedom of expression, free association, and freedom of assembly are also cornerstones of democracy and in fact allow its proper functioning.
11. Free and fair elections
    Change should be considered a natural and healthy feature of democracy. As the government exists to serve the people, and public opinion shifts all the time on all sorts of issues, it is only natural that elections will produce different results at different times. So it is essential that these elections occur freely and fairly. This means that people are given good and accurate information before voting, and that they are free to discuss and debate it. It also means that on election day, people have equal access to the polls, that everyone’s vote has the same value, and that all votes are counted. Moreover, elections shouldn’t come irregularly or be called whenever it suits the government.
12. Free courts
    Even in a perfectly functioning democracy, disputes will arise. In these situations, it’s important that both sides have equal access to an independent body that can resolve the dispute. In democracies, this is the judicial system. Judges are a bit like referees – they’re an independent body that is supposed to apply the rules the same to all. A football match would be a sham if the ref was picked by one of the teams, and democracy is similarly shambolic when the government packs the courts with its friends or disregards judicial decisions.
13. Accepting election results
    When elections don’t go the way of those in power, they must accept them and step down. The peaceful transfer of power defines the democratic process. Losers of elections must accept defeat, and though they can and should continue to openly share their ideas and participate in public debate, they must accept that their positions do not at present have majority support.
14. Rule of law
    Democratic societies operate under the rule of law. This essentially means that a nation’s laws apply equally to all people, and everyone, especially the government, must play by the rules. It means that the rights and freedoms and democratic processes described above are respected and nurtured. And it means that the laws are also enforced in a fair and consistent way, and there’s an independent body, like the courts, to settle disputes that do arise. Liberties recently published its shadow report to the EUon the current rule of law situation across the bloc, finding a number of concerning trends across many member states.