ABSTRACT
The main problem of a new democracy is how to foster the process of democratic consolidation once the transition phase has been completed. A consolidated democratic regime is not only about holding regular and more or less free elections, as there is a substantial difference between “electoral democracy” and “liberal democracy.” These two terms describe rather different political systems as examples of the first kind show remarkably higher levels of political violence, lawlessness and political corruption than the latter (Diamond 1999:10). To qualify as a liberal democracy a polity must fulfil the requirements of a polyarchy (as defined by Dahl 1971)1 plus the effective and regular enforcement of the rule of law. Most of the new democracies of the third wave only comply with the electoral dimension of democracy, showing a significant gap between rights-in-principle and rights-in-practice, as illiberal versions of democracy that are quite distant from the liberal democratic ideal (Foweraker and Landman 1997: xx; Zakaria 1997; O’Donnell 1996; Schor 2002:1).
