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  • Essay / Successful Consolidation of Democracy in Nigeria and India

    Table of ContentsDemocracy and Democratic ConsolidationDemocratic Consolidation in NigeriaDemocratic Consolidation in IndiaDuring premodern times, there was less contact between people exposed to other cultures. These people worshiped and believed in their shared gods who were unquestioned within and outside their place of residence. These premodern societies were themselves ideologically controlled. Even in modern societies, racial and religious groups are still concentrated in their countries of origin, but due to globalization, most places in the world have become multiracial and multireligious. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get an original essayBy saying this, it means that in the world we live in today, no community or society can live in isolation from others, even so, countries that try to avoid foreign values ​​now have no voice to refuse them, because pluralism appears in the form of travel, migration, trade and through the media (Jorgen, 2000) . A populous democracy is a system of government that involves all political actions and in which citizens vote. In countries that practice democracy, nothing happens until 50.1% of the country's population votes and this is done to promote majority rules to increase the number of satisfied citizens. In those countries that practice democracy, the government only deals with the public in which corporations and private businesses are prohibited from any political involvement by any means in that country. This essay will begin by producing information on what democratic consolidation is and this essay will also discuss how democracy has been successfully consolidated in Nigeria and India. This essay will discuss in more detail how different colonial experiences affect democracy in these two countries. Democracy and Democratic Consolidation Democracy is a system of government in which the citizens of a country exercise their power by voting for a president or candidates in a political party. According to Almond, Powell, Strom, and Dalton (2004), “democracy is a political system in which citizens enjoy a number of basic civil and political rights and in which their most important political leaders are elected in elections free and fair and accountable to the courts.” the rule of law.” There are different types of democracy, classified as direct democracy, representative democracy, semi-democracy, liberal democracy, established democracy and new democracy. Direct democracy is where all citizens form a governing body which they will vote directly on every issue. and in representative democracy, citizens choose or elect a representative themselves. Additionally, representatives come together to form a governing body such as a legislature. Liberal democracy took root in Europe as a form of government that has spread throughout the world for years. According to Anton M (2017), “liberal democracy can be defined as a minimal procedural and political system in which political parties compete for control of government through relatively free and fair elections.” The advantage of liberal democracy is that it limits the power of the government over the citizens of a given country. According to Schedler (1998), “democratic consolidation aimed to identify the challenges that guarantee the security of the new democracy”. The term democratic consolidationis a process in which a new democracy matures and it must not revert to authoritarian rule in the presence of external shocks. “Democratic consolidation is the identifiable phase of the transition from authoritarian rule to civilian rule and, by extension, to democratic systems which are relevant and fundamental for the establishment and enthronement of a stable, institutional and sustainable.democracy” (Schedler, 1998). Democratic consolidation is achieved when the people and government are organized and form a system connected by institutions, ethics, culture and support systems that will be useful in promoting stability and efficiency. Some scholars believe that democratic consolidation does not mean that it implies a high quality society or democracy because elections are the most crucial elements of democratic consolidation.Democratic Consolidation of NigeriaNigeria is considered one of the states the most populous in Africa, with an average population estimated at around 178 million people. Nigeria is the most ethnically diverse state on the African continent, with a combination of several nationalities. According to Uduma (2009), he explained that “Nigeria is a pluralistic society both in terms of ethnic and religious composition”. Nigeria's democratic experiment has established competitive multi-party electoral democracies that have been established and uninterrupted since 1999. In addition to local elections, Nigeria has held four sets of general elections over the past decade. Nigeria was considered partially free in 1999 and managed to maintain its country's status in 2011. The 2011 elections in Nigeria, if one were to compare them to the previous elections, one can conclude by saying that they improved the democratic status of the country. The reason being that during the last elections there was electoral violence which prevented the country from improving its democratic status. According to Etteh (2009), he stated that “since 1999, Nigeria has been considered to be in the process of democratic reversal, despite the sequence of the electoral cycle.” From 1999 until 2011, candidates adopted strategies to try to stay in power. “The reality is that everywhere in politics, incumbent governments and established/ruling parties do not lose elections easily” (Amuwo 2009). There are certain challenges that hampered Nigeria in the elections that could prevent Nigeria from consolidating itself democratically. The challenges are voter apathy, elite-manipulated democracy, gender issues and parties without ideology. Most Nigerians did not take advantage of the opportunity to vote in the 2011 elections to elect the leader of their choice and some of the parties present in the elections did not have any ideology that prevents the consolidation of democracy. According to Amuwo (2009), “almost all postcolonial governments in Nigeria thus far have been brought to power without a concise national ideology, much less a popular and liberatory ideology.” To consolidate Nigerian democracy, they should involve the participation of all citizens, both men and women, as both sexes are citizens of the country. They violate human rights, namely the right to vote. Democratic Consolidation in India India is one of the oldest democracies in the third world countries. India experienced authoritarian rule for two years in the 1970s and managed to hold elections in federal units. In recent years, democracy in India was controlled by religion and social groups. India has suffered various attacks from citizens and ethno-religious groups demanding autonomy and independence. There.