Dalil HarchaouiProfessor Hudson MeadwellAssistant Professor Fouad SherifPOLI 21209 April 2014Elections in DemocracyAs the world observes an electoral tsunami, with most modern countries holding national or subnational elections from time to time, a large question arises: are elections a necessary and sufficient condition for democratic politics? In fact, we can think about the upcoming April elections in Algeria, where Abdelaziz Bouteflika will likely win the elections with an overwhelming majority of votes, even though he has obvious health problems that will clearly prevent him from effectively governing the country. This quick example shows the relevance of the question of elections in a democracy. Depending on the answer to the question, some regimes can be described as democratic without giving power to the people. This has enormous impacts, particularly on the legitimacy of a regime and those who hold power in all countries. Being appointed by the people and seen as such certainly makes actions and decisions more legitimate. This is why I will argue that elections are necessary for the maintenance of democracy, but they are far from being a sufficient condition for democratic politics. In this essay, I will begin by defining democracy and base my argument around it. Next, I will discuss the necessity of elections in a democracy and finally, I will argue that elections are not enough to maintain a democracy. Definition of Democracy In this first section, I will define what democracy is. This is an important point to make, because the entire essay depends on what constitutes democracy. In other words, the arguments and explanations rely on the assumptions that the definition provided in this section will make. ...... middle of paper ......s to the people. Even if they are necessary, elections are not enough to have democratic states. On their own, they cannot channel the political aspirations of voters into a system that will properly respond to their demands. Other conditions must be met to have a truly accountable democratic state. These conditions include universal suffrage, respect for civil and minority rights, and respect for the “rules of the game.” All these conditions and many more clearly show how elections are necessary but not sufficient to define democratic politics. Furthermore, elections are a means to an end – that is, democratic rule of civil servants – so it would be interesting to see if other means can achieve the same results without the negatives of elections . Yet it is still the only way for democracy to function effectively and properly..