Democracy in Sub-Continent

Democracy in Indian Sub-Continent


Bangladesh on March 26, 2007 observes Independence Day and National Day and it is time to review the status of democracy not only in Bangladesh but also in whole of sub-continent. Now to start up, a general view of the democracy all across the world.

Over view of democracy all across the world

The definition of democracy is simple, the rule of the people, but great complexity and diversity has arisen from the varied concepts used at different periods of history and in different countries.

This map reflects the findings of Freedom House's survey Freedom in the World 2007, which reports the state of world freedom in 2006.

██ Free. Freedom House considers these to be liberal democracies. ██ Partly Free ██ Not
Free

No of countries with Democracy – 138


Albania
Emerging democracy
America(USA)
federal republic
Andorra
Parliamentary democracy
Argentina
Multi-party republic
Armenia
Multi-party republic
Aruba
Parliamentary democracy
Australia
Democratic constitutional monarchy
Austria
Federal republic
Azerbaijan
Multi-party republic
B

The Bahamas
Parliamentary representative democratic monarchy
Bangladesh
Parliamentary democracy Since: 1990 as of now under emergency
Barbados
Parliamentary democracy
Belgium
Parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy
Belize
Parliamentary democracy
Benin
Multi-party republic
Bermuda
Parliamentary British overseas territory with internal self-government
Bolivia
Multi-party republic
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Emerging republic
Botswana
Parliamentary republic
Brazil
Federal republic
Bulgaria
Parliamentary democracy
Burkina Faso
Parliamentary democracy
C

Canada
Parliamentary democracy/constitutional monarchy
Cambodia
Multi-party democracy under a constitutional monarchy
Cape Verde
Multi-party republic
Chile
Multi-party republic
Colombia
Multi-party republic
Comoros
Multi-party republic
Cook Islands
Self-governing parliamentary democracy
Costa Rica
Democratic republic
Croatia
Presidential/Parliament democracy
Cyprus
Multi-party republic
Czech Republic
Parliamentary democracy
D

Denmark
Parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy
Dominica
Parliamentary democracy
Dominican Republic
Democracy
E

Ecuador
Multi-party republic
El Salvador
Multi-party republic
Estonia
Parliamentary republic
Ethiopia
Federal republic
F

Fiji
Multi-party republic
Finland
Multi-party republic
France
Multi-party republic
G

Gabon
Multi-party republic
Georgia
Multi-party republic
Germany
Federal/Multi-party republic
Ghana
Constitutional democracy
Greece
Parliamentary republic
Greenland
Parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy
Grenada
Parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy
Guatemala
Democratic republic
Guinea-Bissau
Multi-party republic
Guyana
Multi-party republic
H

Honduras
Democratic republic
Hungary
Parliamentary democracy
I

Iceland
Democracy
India
Federal multi-party republic
Indonesia
Multi-party republic
Iraq
Parliamentary democracy
Ireland
Multi-party republic
Isle of Man
Parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy
Israel
Parliamentary democracy
Italy
Multi-party republic
J

Jamaica
Parliamentary democracy
Japan
Parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy
K

Kiribati
Multi-party republic
Korea (South)
Multi-party republic
Kyrgyzstan
Multi-party republic
L

Latvia
Democracy
Lesotho
Parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy
Liberia
Emerging democracy
Liechtenstein
Parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy
Luxembourg
Parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy
Lithuania
Parliamentary democracy
M

Macedonia
Parliamentary democracy
Madagascar
Multi-party republic
Malawi
Parliamentary democracy
Malaysia
Federal constitutional elective monarchy
Malta
Multi-party republic
Marshall Islands
Constitutional government
Mauritius
Parliamentary democracy
Mexico
Federal republic
Micronesia
Constitutional government
Moldova
Multi-party republic
Monaco
Parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy
Mongolia
Democracy
Montenegro
Multi-party republic
Mozambique
Multi-party republic
N

Namibia
Multi-party republic
Nauru
Multi-party republic
New Zealand
Democratic constitutional monarchy
The Netherlands
Parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy
The Netherlands Antilles
Parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy
Nicaragua
Multi-party republic
Niue
Self-governing parliamentary democracy
Northern Mariana Islands
Self-governing with locally elected governor, lieutenant governor and legislature
Norway
Parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy
P

Pakistan
Parliamentary democracy under a Federation/Islamic Republic
Palau
Constitutional government in free association with the U.S.A.
Panama
Democracy
Papua New Guinea
Parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy
Paraguay
Multi-party republic
Peru
Multi-party republic
The Philippines
Multi-party republic
Poland
Multi-party republic
Portugal
Democracy
R

Romania
Multi-party republic
Russia
Federal republic
S

Saint Kitts and Nevis
Parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy
Saint Lucia
Parliamentary democracy
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Parliamentary democracy
Samoa
Parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy
San Marino
Multi-party republic
São Tomé and Príncipe
Multi-party republic
Senegal
Multi-party republic
Serbia
Multi-party republic
Seychelles
Multi-party republic
Sierra Leone
Constitutional democracy
Singapore
Democracy
Slovakia
Parliamentary democracy
Slovenia
Parliamentary republic
Solomon Islands
Parliamentary democracy
South Africa
Multi-party republic
Spain
Parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy
Sri Lanka
Multi-party republic
Suriname
Democracy
Sweden
Parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy
Switzerland
Multi-party republic/Direct democracy
T

Taiwan
Democracy
Trinidad and Tobago
Parliamentary democracy
Tuvalu
Parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy
Turkey
Parliamentary democracy
U

Ukraine
Multi-party republic
United Kingdom
Parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy
Uruguay
Multi-party republic
United States of America
Federal republic
V

Vanuatu
Parliamentary republic
Venezuela
Democratic republic

Democracy in Indian sub-continent

Indian sun-continent has been witness to countless number of invasions starting from the Aryan invasion to the British colonial imperialism. Countless invasions and rules made the sub-continent more disintegrated and had made the regions with multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, multi- social and multi-religious region. Democracy – a product left over by the British after granting freedom to sub-continent failed to make an ever-lasting impact in the sub-continent except for India and Srilanka. The other countries Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan have had mixed bag of democracy.


S NO
Country
Status of Democracy
1
India
Stable except for dark period during emergency in 1975-77
2
Pakistan
Unstable democracy even elected government reel under constant fear of military coup
3
Nepal
Elected government is likely to take guard from monarch. Elections due to be held in June
4
Bhutan
Threshold of democracy
5
Bangladesh
Democracy under constant threat, elections were suspended which were on due on January 22, 2007 As of now in a state of emergency
6
Sri Lanka
Stable democracy, though the threat of military take over if the civil war gets out of control cannot be ruled out


Democracy in India Overview

India is the second most populous country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world. Though democracy was a product of colonial imperilalism the roots of democracy lies deep embedded in the Indian system. Probabaly the oldest insitutions of democracy, the Panchayat Raj Sytem started in India and specifically in Indian villages. It is no surpise that India – stands tall among other countries not only in the Sub-continent but all across the world in its symbol of democracy.

Parliamentary System

The legislature of India is the bicameral Parliament, which consists of the upper house called the Rajya Sabha (Council of States), and the lower house called the Lok Sabha (House of People).

The Rajya Sabha has up to 250 members serving staggered six year terms. Most are elected indirectly by the state and territorial legislatures in proportion to the state's population.

The Lok Sabha's 545 members are directly elected by popular vote to represent individual constituencies for five year terms.

For most of its democratic history, the Government of India has been led by the Indian National Congress (INC). State politics have been dominated by several national parties including INC, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Communist Party of India (CPI) and various regional parties.

From 1950 to 1990, the INC enjoyed a parliamentary majority barring two brief periods.
But Congress tried to experminent with the concept of democracy with the imposition of emergency which led to the formation of first ever non-Congress government in India when the Janata Party won the election owing to public discontent with the "Emergency.

A Janata Dal coalition, called the National Front, won elections in 1989 but managed to stay in power for only two years.

The years 1996-1998 were a period of turmoil in the federal government with several short-lived alliances holding sway.

The BJP formed a government briefly in 1996, followed by the United Front coalition. In 1998, the BJP formed the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) with several regional parties, and became the first non-Congress government to complete a full five-year term.

In the 2004 Indian elections the Indian National Congress won the largest number of Lok Sabha seats and formed a government with a coalition called the United Progressive Alliance, supported by a various left-leaning parties and members opposed to the BJP.

Democracy in Pakistan

The Muslim League formed Pakistan's first government under the leadership of Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Liaquat Ali Khan in 1947. The Muslim League's leadership of Pakistani politics decreased significantly with the rise of other political parties, with the Pakistan People's Party in West Pakistan, and the Awami League in East Pakistan, which would ultimately lead to the creation of Bangladesh.

The first Constitution of Pakistan was adopted in 1956, but was suspended in 1958 by Ayub Khan. The Constitution of 1973, suspended in 1977 by Zia-ul-Haq, was re-instated in 1991 and is the country's most important document, laying the foundations of government.

Pakistan is a federal democratic republic with Islam as the state religion. The semi-presidential system includes a bicameral legislature consisting of a 100-member Senate and a 342-member National Assembly. The President is the Head of State and the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces and is elected by an electoral college.

The prime minister is usually the leader of the largest party in the National Assembly. Each province has a similar system of government with a directly elected Provincial Assembly in which the leader of the largest party or alliance becomes Chief Minister. Provincial Governors are appointed by the President.

The Pakistani military has played an influential role in mainstream politics throughout Pakistan's history, (Politics of Pakistan) with military presidents ruling from 1958–71, 1977–88 and from 1999 onwards. The leftist Pakistan People's Party (PPP), led by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, emerged as a major political player during the 1970s.

Under the military rule of Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, Pakistan began a marked shift from the British-era secular politics and policies, to the adoption of Shariat and other laws based on Islam. During the 1980s, the anti-feudal, pro-Muhajir Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) was started by unorthodox and educated urban dwellers of Sindh and particularly Karachi.


The 1990s were characterized by coalition politics dominated by the PPP and a rejuvenated Muslim League. Following the defeat in Kargil in 1999 the army headed by Prevez Musharaff took the power seat de-throning the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif by a coup.

In the October 2002 general elections, the Pakistan Muslim League (Q) (PML-Q) won a plurality of National Assembly seats with the second-largest group being the Pakistan People's Party Parliamentarians (PPPP), a sub-party of the PPP. Zafarullah Khan Jamali of PML-Q emerged as Prime Minister but resigned on 26 June 2004 and was replaced by PML-Q leader Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain as interim Prime Minister.


On 28 August 2004 the National Assembly voted 191 to 151 to elect the Finance Minister and former Citibank Vice President Shaukat Aziz as Prime Minister. Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal, a coalition of Islamic religious parties, won elections in North-West Frontier Province, and increased their representation in the National Assembly.

Democaracy in Nepal

Nepal splintered and coalesced under a variety of absolute rulers, Nepal became a constitutional monarchy in 1990. However, the monarchy retained many important and ill-defined powers.

This arrangement was marked by increasing instability, both in the parliament and, since 1996, in large swathes of the country that have been fought over by Maoist insurgents. The Maoists, alienated from mainstream political parties, went underground and started a guerrilla war against both monarchy and mainstream political parties.

They have sought to overthrow feudal institutions, including the monarchy, and establish a Maoist state. This led to the Nepalese Civil War in which more than 15,000 people have died.

On the pretext of quashing the insurgents, the king closed down the parliament and sacked the elected prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba of Nepali Congress (Democratic) in 2002 and started ruling through prime ministers appointed by him. He then unilaterally declared a state of emergency early in 2005, and assumed all executive powers.

Following the 2006 democracy movement, the king agreed to relinquish the sovereign power back to the people and reinstated the dissolved House of Representatives on April 24, 2006. Using its newly acquired sovereign authority, on May 18, 2006, the newly resumed House of Representatives unanimously passed a motion to curtail the power of the king and declared Nepal a secular state. As of September, 2006, a complete rewrite of the country's constitution was still expected to happen in the near future.

Turblunet Violence in Nepal

On June 1, 2001, the Heir Apparent Dipendra went on a killing spree in the royal palace, in response to his parents' rejection of his choice of wife. His parents were killed and he died three days later. Following the carnage, the throne was inherited by Birendra's brother Gyanendra. In the face of unstable governments and a Maoist siege on the Kathmandu Valley in August 2004, popular support for the monarchy waned.

On February 1, 2005 Gyanendra dismissed the entire government and assumed full executive powers in the name of combating the Maoist movement. In September 2005, the Maoists declared a three-month unilateral ceasefire which was not reciprocated by the royal government; the latter vowed to defeat the rebels by force. A few weeks later, the government stated that parliamentary elections would be held by 2007 even after the failed municipal elections,

On January 14, 2006 the Maoists attacked 5 military and paramilitary installations throughout the Kathmandu Valley. Bombs were detonated in two of the locations. 12 people died, 11 at the Thankot checkpost where multiple blasts shook homes as far away as Matatheirtha. The public was shocked as this was proof that the moaists where able to organize and plan a simultaneous attack on multiple locations within the Valley, long considered to be relatively safe from Maoist Violence. During the attack on the Thankot checkpost, a local toll station was robbed, this toll station is was less than 100 meters away from an orphanage housing 64 children.

The Maoists, through support from the seven parliamentary parties (SPA), arranged a mass uprising against the reign of King Gyanendra. The royal government used various means to quell the uprising. Frustrated by lack of security, jobs and good governance, thousands of people took to the streets to demand that the king renounce power outright, but the royal government turned even more ferocious and continued its suppression, including daytime curfews amid a Maoist blockade. Food shortages took effect. Soon there was a plan to hold a march with over one million people into the city center and encircle the royal palace. The security forces turned brutal. Thousands were injured and 21 people died in the uprising.


On April 21, 2006, Gyanendra announced that he was giving up absolute power and that "Power was being returned to the People". He called on the seven party coalitions to name a Prime Minister and that elections would be held as soon as possible. Both the U.S. and India immediately called on the SPA to accept this proposal. Many Nepalese protesters, however, still carried out rallies in numerous cities and vowed to continue the stir until they would achieve complete abolishment of the monarchy.

Following Gyanendra's relinquishing of absolute power, the Nepalese government and Maoist rebels agreed on a ceasefire. In August 2006, both parties came to an agreement on the issue of arms accountability, agreeing to ask the United Nations to oversee and keep track of the weapons cache of both sides. The government and the Maoists are trying to come to an agreement on the future of the monarchy.

As of 21 November 2006, Maoists and the Seven Party Alliance signed a peace deal. The agreement is intended to end the Nepalese Civil War, which has claimed more than 13,000 lives to date.

As of 15 January 2007, SPA and Maoists serve together in an Interim legislature under the new Interim Constitution of Nepal awaiting elections to take place in June 2007 to a Constituent Assembly, while all the powers of the Nepali King are in abeyance.

The April movement of 2006 brought about a change in the nation. The autocratic King was forced to give up power. The dissolved House of Representatives was restored. The House of Representatives formed a government which had successful peace talks with the Maoist Rebels. An interim constitution was promulgated and an interim House of Representatives was formed with Maoist members. The number of seats were also increased to 330.

Democracy in Bangladesh

Bangladesh got independence from the rule of West Pakistan on March 26, 1971. Though the Bangladesh movement was started against the military leadership in West Pakistan it falied to provide impetus of democracy in Bangladesh after it got liberated. Bangladesh frequently say Military rule and imposition of emergency largely due to the social unrest in the country.

Bangladesh is a parliamentary democracy. The President is the head of state, a largely ceremonial post. The real power is held by the Prime Minister, who is the head of government. The president is elected by the legislature every five years and has normally limited powers that are substantially expanded during the tenure of a caretaker government, mainly in controlling the transition to a new government.

The two major parties in Bangladesh are the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Bangladesh Awami League. BNP finds its allies among Islamist parties like Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh and Islami Oikya Jot, while Awami League aligns with leftist and secularist parties. Another important player is the Jatiya Party, headed by former military ruler Ershad. The Awami League-BNP rivalry has been bitter and punctuated by protests, violence and murder.

Two radical Islamist parties, Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh (JMJB) and Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), were banned in February 2005. Bomb attacks taking place since 1999 have been blamed on those groups, and hundreds of suspected members have been detained in numerous security operations, including the head the of those two parties in 2006. The first recorded case of a suicide bomb attack in Bangladesh took place in November 2005.

Latest crisis for Democracy in Bangladesh

The 2006–2007 Bangladeshi political crisis began in October 2006 when a caretaker government — designated by the constitution to oversee the vote — assumed power without exhausting the provisions of selection of Chief of Caretaker government at the end of October to steer the country through parliamentary elections. Increasing violence stemmed from an expected but decisive announcement by the Awami League — and around 18 smaller parties allied to it — made on 3 January 2007 stating that they would boycott the general election scheduled to be held on 22 January 2007 questioning its fairness and non-availability of correct voters list.

The main reason for the on-going political crisis is preplanned politicalisation of civil administration, election commission and defense force command to trap opposition into a predetermined elections results. This stemmed from a bitter rivalry between the Awami League and Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). The BNP-led government stepped down in October at the end of their term. Although the caretaker government was appointed immediately afterwards, Awami League and its allies maintained their position regarding the fairness of the upcoming election. Violence erupted throughout the country, killing more than 40 people

On January 11, 2007, the United Nations and the European Union suspended their election monitoring operations because they felt that conditions for a credible vote did not exist.[2] In a statement, the EU said, "The European Commission has decided to suspend its Election Observation Mission (EOM) to Bangladesh covering the parliamentary elections on 22nd January.

The European Commission has called back the long-term observers already on the ground, and will not deploy the other phases of its observation mission, which was due to be led by MEP Alexander Graf Lambsdorff."[3] A spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stated that "The political crisis in Bangladesh has severely jeopardized the legitimacy of the electoral process. On the same day as the UN and EU withdrawal from the election procedures, chief advisor of the caretaker government Iajuddin Ahmed (the current president) announced a state of emergency in Bangladesh after weeks of political crisis over the upcoming elections, implementing a late night to early morning (11 p.m. to 5 a.m.) curfew.

The army, in the tradition of guardian coups has stepped in with the usual list of apparently noble goals . Within hours of the state of emergency declaration, President Ahmed announced his resignation as chief advisor, as well as the postponement of the scheduled election. Prior to his own, he accepted the resignations of nine of the ten advisors of the caretaker government. The remaining advisor on the board Fazlul Haque was then appointed by President Ahmed as the interim chief advisor.

Democracy in Bhutan

Bhutan has been a monarchy since 1907. The different dzongkhags were united under the leadership of the Trongsa Penlop. King Jigme Singye Wangchuck, who has made some moves toward constitutional government, announced in December 2005 that he would abdicate in 2008.


Bhutan in 2004 year unveiled a 34-point constitution and the same was sent to some 530,000 citizens for their views.

The new constitution was presented in early 2005 which will be put up for ratification by a referendum before coming into force. In December 2005, Jigme Singye Wangchuck announced that he would abdicate the throne in his son's favour in 2008 (News, views and events leading to 2008. On December 14, 2006, he stunned his countrymen by announcing that he would be abdicating immediately. The early abdication of Jigme Singye may have been related to internal pressures placed on him related to recent Chinese incursions into Bhutanese territory

Bhutan is preparing to usher historic changes by introducing the parliamentary democracy in 2008, works are in full swing and political parties are now legal. The Judicial power is vested in all the courts of Bhutan. The Chief Justice is the administrative head of the Judiciary. The existing paper currency or denomination notes of Bhutan which of course is in Ngultrums is being revised and new notes are developed to replace the existing old ones. As of now, Denominations of Ngultrum one and Mgultrum five have been introduced. Coins are also very much in use in Bhutan.
By December 2007 Bhutanese voters would have already been to the polls thrice, once to vote for the National Council and twice for the Nationwide Parliamentary Mock elections.
The first real voting experience would come with the elections of the 20 members from the dzongkhags to the National Council in fall this year. Voters will have to cast their vote in the polling booth assigned within the constituency where they have registered to vote.
Unlike elections to the National Assembly, each dzongkhag would be a National Council constituency and will elect one Thuemi representing that dzongkhag, according to election commission officials.


Democray in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka has enjoyed a stable democracy and continuous economic progress, despite the ongoing conflict between the Sri Lankan government and a separatist militant group known as the LTTE in the northeastern parts of the country. Presidential elections in Sri Lanka were held latest on 17 November 2005. Prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa defeated former prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and took office on November 19, 2005.



Civil War in Sri Lanka

The Sri Lankan Civil War is an ongoing conflict on the island-nation of Sri Lanka. Since the 1983, there has been on-and-off civil war, predominantly between the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) also known as the Tamil Tigers), a separatist militant organization who fight to create an independent state named Tamil Eelam in the North and East of the island. It is estimated that the war has claimed the lives of more than 68,000 people since 1983 and it has caused significant harm to the population and economy of the country, as well as leading to the ban of the LTTE as a terrorist organization across much of the developed world including in the United States, the European Union and Canada. Hopes of a lasting peace were raised when a cease-fire was declared in December 2001, and a ceasefire agreement was signed with international mediation in 2002. However renewed hostilities broke out in late 2005 and have continued to escalate, resulting in the deaths of over 4,000 people since November 2005.