ABSTRACT
The term ‘direct democracy’ is used to describe a type of political system that is characterized by its emphasis on providing mechanisms for political participation and decision-making in which citizens get to vote and decide on matters of public concern without the interference of any intermediaries that represent their interests. In this sense, it entails: 1) a political system in which the will of the people is expressed directly by the citizens and not by elected representatives and 2) certain mechanisms that allow the people to express their will directly concerning certain questions or political decisions. Direct democracy can thus be differentiated from a representative democracy, but both can coexist as different mechanisms through which domestic decisions can be made.
