ABSTRACT
Democracy is an ideal, represented in the modern world by a set of opportunities for citizens to be involved in government. As an ideal it cannot be seen in its pure form in actual systems of government, but it provides expectations and standards against which practical experience may be assessed. From time to time some facets of democracy are more important than others: there is always a mix of cultural, political and constitutional factors which condition its imperfect practice, and the balance of its various features understandably and legitimately may be different in one place and at one time compared with a different place and/or at a different time. However, the most important feature of any form of democracy is a focus on accountability.
