ABSTRACT

Democracy - to a lesser or greater extent - is the most widely applied system for running a state in the contemporary world. To some it is a form of government, to others, a way of social life.1 It entitles citizens to participate freely in the political decision making processes that affect their individual and collective lives. It makes government responsible to the will of the majority without being oblivious to the interests of the minority. It is representative in character and stresses equality of all citizens before law.2 Political participation is the bedrock of democracy.