"We are democratic, people in the developing world are not!"

More than two-thirds of the world's population now live in countries described as `democratic'. We have seen Africa's political landscape transformed recently as many sub-Saharan countries exchanged military regimes, one-party states and authoritarian rule for a more democratic system. Close to half of Africa will hold elections during 1996/97.

In Latin America, many military dictatorships have fallen, and a recent survey by Latin barometer showed that a democratic system of government was supported by 80% of Uruguayans, 71% of Argentines, 64% of Bolivians and 63% of Peruvians.

Many people question whether there can be true democracy if so many people in developing countries cannot read or write. But people can make informed choices irrespective of whether they are literate. In Bangladesh, where only 24% of women are literate, in the 1996 election women made up 73% of the votes cast, with a high overall turnout. These women had been able to exercise their wisdom about the needs of their community. Commentators agreed - winners and loser alike - that the election showed a magnificent assertion of the popular will.

Lastly, there are arguments about just how democratic the UK system is. For example, some feel we should have a different system of electing a government (e.g. proportional representation).

History has shown that it is not easy to set up a democratic state, especially when not everyone supports the idea. It is particularly difficult if one group in society is afraid of what will happen to them if their `side' loses in an election or because they don't want to give up power.

For a democracy to work, everyone has to agree that the winner, or majority view, has the right to govern until the next election. If a group, however large or small, decides not to accept the result, democracy comes under threat. Instead of resolving contentious social issues, elections can create new ones, bringing out old or underlying conflicts. When the people of Angola had a multiparty election, they thought it would end the years of civil war. But the losing side, UNIT A, did not accept the results and decided to continue to fight.

People the world over have fought and died for the freedom to elect their choice of government. For us in the UK, that fight is a relatively distant memory but that should not lessen the value of our vote. More recently, there has been a long and bloody struggle by Black South Africans to have the right to vote in their country's elections. In March 1992, the apartheid regime held a whites-only referendum to decide whether or not to dismantle apartheid. An overwhelming majority of 85.5% of the 3.28 million white electorate voted `yes'. As the journalist Fergal Keane commented, `it was a victory for the ordinary people, because the choice to reject racism and embrace peaceful coexistence was a deeply personal one'.

Mexico City has never had local government elections, but soon the people will have the chance to vote in the first one. Candidates want to be elected, and for the first time leaders must think about what they intend to do and how to keep their promises. The people will have the power to change things and hold their leaders responsible.
Sometimes, it is not until you realise that people might have prevented you from voting that your vote becomes precious. Women in the British suffragette movement in the early 20th century had to struggle to gain their vote - women were thought `too silly and uneducated to have an opinion'. But it has taken longer for women to get the vote in some places - in Switzerland they didn't until 1971! However, some countries - India, Philippines, UK, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh amongst others - have elected women as leaders of their countries.